Welcome back to Koalas’ Tricky Japanese 🐨✨ — Koatori for short!
In Episode 8, we explore the tricky phrase 「〜てしまう」 (te shimau).
It actually has TWO meanings depending on the context:
👉 完了 (kanryou) = completely finished
👉 後悔 (koukai) = oops / unfortunately
Examples:
・宿題をやってしまいました。= I finished my homework completely.
・財布を忘れてしまいました。= I (unfortunately) forgot my wallet.
・寝坊してしまった！= Oh no, I overslept!
And in casual conversation, it changes into 「〜ちゃう」:
・食べちゃった。
・忘れちゃった。
・寝坊しちゃった！
Context, tone, and situation decide whether it’s “done” or “oops.”
A small phrase, but super tricky — and super common in daily Japanese!
Laugh a little, learn a lot, and make Japanese less tricky with Koatori! 🎧
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