immersionlog
Sign inCreate account

〜あげく(に)

after all that, in the end (with a bad result)

Verb た-form + あげく(に) · Noun + の + あげく

Sign up free to review this point on a spaced schedule.

あげく describes a long, troublesome process that ends badly: さんざん迷ったあげく、何も買わなかった, "after dithering endlessly, I ended up buying nothing".

The first half is usually something drawn out or repeated: worrying, arguing, getting lost, being dragged around. The second half is the disappointing or annoying outcome. There's often a note of frustration.

It follows a た-form, or a noun with の: 口論のあげく, "after a quarrel".

Compare 末に, which also follows a long process but usually ends in success, and 結果, which is neutral. The idiom あげくの果てに means "and to top it all off".

Examples

  • さんざん迷まよったあげく、何なにも買かわなかった。

    After dithering endlessly, I ended up buying nothing.

  • 長ながい時間話じかんはなし合あったあげく、結論けつろんが出でなかった。

    After talking it over for ages, we couldn't reach a conclusion.

  • 何度なんども道みちを間違まちがえたあげく、約束やくそくの時間じかんに遅おくれた。

    After taking wrong turns again and again, I ended up late.

  • 悩なやんだあげく、留学りゅうがくをあきらめた。

    After agonising over it, I gave up on studying abroad.

  • 彼かれは酔よって騒さわいだあげく、店みせの物ものを壊こわした。

    He got drunk and rowdy, and in the end he broke things in the bar.

Related