挙句
After, In the end, After all, Eventually
Structure
Verb［た］+ あげく + の + Noun
Noun + の possession + あげく + (に) + (Past Tense) (Result)
Explanation
The expression 挙句, meaning 'in the end', is used to show that after a significant amount of time or effort was invested in (A), an unfortunate or undesirable outcome (B) occurred. The nuance of あげく suggests that the lengthy or difficult process of (A) was ultimately for nothing, leading directly to the disappointing result of (B).
あげく is connected to the past-tense (た-form) of a verb, or it can follow a noun when used with the particle の.
- ３時間も喧嘩したあげく、彼と別れてしまった。After arguing for three whole hours, we ended up breaking up.
- 何時間も待ったあげく、友達は来なかった。After waiting for hours on end, my friend never showed up.
- 長い会議のあげく、何も決まらなかった。After a long meeting, we ended up deciding nothing at all.
In some contexts, あげく focuses more on the troublesome or complicated process that led to a final decision (B). In this usage, the result itself isn't necessarily negative, but the path to get there was very difficult or involved a lot of struggle.
- さんざん道に迷ったあげく、やっとホテルに着いた。After getting terribly lost, we finally managed to get to the hotel.
- 色々な悩みのあげく、引っ越すことにした。After a great deal of worrying, I decided to move.
Caution
While あげく is typically written in hiragana, you will also see it written using its kanji forms, 挙句 or 挙げ句.
Fun-fact
The word 挙句 has its roots in traditional Japanese linked-verse poetry called 連歌. It originally meant 'the final verse', which concluded the poem.
Examples
いろいろな店を探し回った挙げ句、欲しかったゲームはどこも売り切れだった。
After searching around in all sorts of stores, the game I wanted was sold out everywhere.
何時間もかけて料理した挙げ句に、オーブンで焦がしてしまった。
After spending hours cooking, I ended up burning it in the oven.
２時間も列に並んだ挙げ句、入場できなかった。
After waiting in line for two whole hours, I couldn't even get in.
長時間の口論の挙げ句、彼らは別れることになった。
After arguing for hours, they ended up breaking up.
買おうかどうしようか悩んだ挙げ句に、他の人に買われてしまった。
After agonizing over whether to buy it or not, someone else bought it.
嘘に嘘を重ねた挙げ句、誰からも信用されなくなった。
After piling lie upon lie, he ended up being trusted by no one.
半日かけて家具を組み立てた挙げ句に、部品が足りないことに気づいた。
After spending half the day assembling the furniture, I realized a part was missing.
激しい議論を重ねた挙げ句、結局何も決まらなかった。
After a series of intense discussions, nothing was decided in the end.
借金までして投資した挙げ句、すべてのお金を失った。
After going so far as to get into debt to invest, I lost all my money.
何度も道に迷った挙げ句、約束の時間に間に合わなかった。
After getting lost over and over, I didn't make it in time for my appointment.
あちこちの病院を回った挙げ句、原因はストレスだと言われた。
After going from hospital to hospital, I was just told the cause was stress.
さんざん説得した挙げ句、彼は首を縦に振らなかった。
After trying my best to persuade him, he still wouldn't agree.