終わる
To finish, To end
Structure
Explanation
To indicate that an action is starting or concluding in Japanese, you can use the verbs 始める (to begin) and 終わる (to finish). This particular lesson will concentrate on expressing the 'completion' of an action.
To say that an action is finishing, simply attach おわる to the ます-stem of almost any verb. Whether you use the hiragana form or the kanji form does not matter, as there will be no change in nuance.
- 今日の宿題を全部書き終わりました。I have finished writing all of today's homework.
- このケーキはもうすぐ作り終わる。I'll be done making this cake soon.
Because おわる is itself a verb, it can be conjugated to show different tenses, indicating that something has finished, is finishing, or will finish.
- 宿題をやり終わるまで、ゲームはできません。You can't play games until you've finished your homework.
- この本、まだ読み終わってないの？Haven't you finished reading this book yet?
- 大変な仕事でしたが、今朝やっとやり終わりました！It was a tough job, but I finally finished it this morning!
Caution
In contrast to はじめる, which is a transitive verb, 終わる is the intransitive verb from its transitive/intransitive pair. This reflects the tendency in Japanese to see actions as 'coming to a close' by themselves (intransitive), instead of being actively brought to a close by someone (transitive). Despite this, the transitive form, 終える, may also appear as an auxiliary to other verbs in certain situations.
Examples
長い小説だったけど、やっと読みおわりました。
It was a long novel, but I finally finished reading it.
この映画は夜９時ごろに見おわる。
We will finish watching this movie around 9 PM.
この薬は飲みおわった。
I've finished taking this medicine.
使いおわったのは何時ぐらいでしたか？
Around what time did you finish using it?
課題を書きおわった人は提出してください。
Those who have finished writing the assignment, please hand it in.
遊びに行くのは掃除しおわってからにしなさい。
You can go out to play after you finish cleaning.
旅行の準備はし終わりましたか。
Have you finished preparing for the trip?
昨日から作っている料理は、もう作りおわった？
Have you finished making the dish you've been working on since yesterday?
私が言いおわるまで、黙って聞いていて。
Until I finish speaking, be quiet and listen.
全部洗いおわったから、やっと休める。
Since I've finished washing everything, I can finally rest.
この曲を弾きおわるまでに３０分もかかる。
It takes a full 30 minutes to finish playing this piece of music.
買わなければならない物を買いおわるまで店から出てはいけない。
You can't leave the store until you finish buying all the things you have to buy.