Grammar › Outcome & Result
あげく(に) — “in the end (after all that trouble)…”
Describes an unwelcome conclusion reached only after a long, often wasted, struggle
Past plain verb + あげく(に), or noun + の + あげく, describes reaching a conclusion only after a lengthy, often exhausting process — and that conclusion is usually disappointing or negative. It carries a note of “all that effort, and this is what we got.”
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Past plain + あげく(に) | さんざん悩んだあげく、諦めることにした — After agonizing over it for ages, I ended up deciding to give up |
| Noun + の + あげく | 長い議論のあげく、結論は出なかった — After a long debate, no conclusion was reached |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何時間も迷ったあげく、結局何も買わなかった。 | なんじかんもまよったあげく、けっきょくなにもかわなかった。 nanjikanmomayottaageku、kekkyokunanimokawanakatta。 | After hours of hesitating, I ended up buying nothing at all. |
| さんざん待たされたあげく、キャンセルされた。 | さんざんまたされたあげく、きゃんせるされた。 sanzanmatasaretaageku、kyanserusareta。 | After being kept waiting forever, it ended up getting cancelled. |
| 激しい口論のあげく、二人は絶交した。 | はげしいこうろんのあげく、ふたりはぜっこうした。 hageshiikouronnoageku、futarihazekkoushita。 | After a fierce argument, the two of them cut ties. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
あげく almost always signals a negative or disappointing outcome — using it for a happy ending (合格したあげく…) sounds jarring; save it for stories that end in frustration or waste.