銀行
ぎんこう強盗
ごうとうの計画
けいかくがばれて、実行
じっこうせずじまいだった。
The bank heist plan was exposed, so we ended up not carrying it out.

Peep this: 〜ずじまい is all about when you meant to do somethin’, you had it all planned out, but it just never went down. It’s like a mission you scoped out, but the homies never came through, or the cops rolled up, and you had to dip out before you could finish the job. The opportunity came and went, and now you got nothin’ but regrets.

Think of it like this: You and your crew were gon’ hit a lick, right? You had the blueprint, the getaway driver was on standby, but then something went wrong—somebody got cold feet, the target bounced, whatever. That “lick” that never happened? That’s 〜ずじまい. The plan was solid, but the execution fell through, and now the chance is gone for good. It’s that feeling of “we should’ve done it, but we didn’t.

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Check it, here’s how you put this piece together. It’s simple, so don’t get it twisted.

Form	How to Conjugate	Hiragana	English Translation
Verbs	Drop the final る/す/etc. and add 〜ずじまい	〜ずじまい	Didn’t end up doing
する Verbs	しない becomes せず	せずじまい	Didn’t end up doing
来る Verbs	来ない becomes こず	こずじまい	Didn’t end up coming

This conjugation is slick. You take a verb and put it in its negative form, but with ~ず instead of ~ない. So, taberu (to eat) becomes tabezu. Nomu (to drink) becomes nomazu. See? You just switch out that ~ない for ~ず, and then you tack on じまい. Easy as pie. For the verbs like する (to do) and 来る (to come), they got their own special moves, so you gotta remember those. する becomes せず, and 来る becomes こず. Don’t be slippin’ on that.

Think of it like this: You got a bag of cash you were gonna use to buy a new whip, but then the feds started watchin’ you and you had to ditch the plan. The money’s still there, but you never got the car. That’s ~ずじまい. The action (buyin’ the car) never came to be. It’s not just “I didn’t do it,” it’s “I was gonna do it, but things fell apart and I ended up not doin’ it.” It’s that unfulfilled promise, that plan that went south.

Aight, peep this. Here’s some new vocab to get your lingo on point.

シメるつもり (しめる つもり)

English: To settle an account; to do someone in.

When somebody steps outta line, disrespects the crew, or messes with the paper, you gotta let ’em know there’s a price. This ain’t about some fancy talkin’ or sittin’ down for a chat. “Shimeru” is when you put the beatdown on ’em, make ’em pay for they mistake. You let ’em know who’s boss and that there are consequences. It’s the final answer, straight up.

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取り立つ (とり たつ)

English: To collect; to demand payment.

When you lend out that paper, you ain’t doin’ it for charity. “Toritatsu” is when you go get what’s yours. It’s about collectin’ on that debt, whether it’s money, a favor, or somethin’ else. You ain’t askin’ nicely. You show up, knock on the door, and make sure they understand the time has come to pay up.

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カタギ (かたぎ)

English: Honest; decent citizen; respectable person.

Man, “katagi” is the opposite of us. They’re the straight-laced folks, the ones who follow all the rules and never step out of line. They got regular jobs, pay their taxes, and live that normal, quiet life. They ain’t about the street hustle or the game. They are the ones we gotta avoid messin’ with unless we got no choice.

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恩義を返す (おんぎ を かえす)

English: To repay a debt of gratitude; to return a favor.

When somebody hooks you up, they save your hide, they look out for you when nobody else will, you gotta remember that. “Ongi o kaesu” is when you pay that favor back. It’s not about money, it’s about loyalty and respect. You ride for them like they rode for you. It’s that code of the street: you scratch my back, I scratch yours, no questions asked.

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塀の中に入る (へい の なか に はいる)

English: To go to jail; to be locked up.

This is the worst-case scenario. When the heat gets too close, and the law finally gets their hands on you, you “hei no naka ni hairu.” You get sent behind the walls, locked up, doin’ time. It means you ain’t free no more. You livin’ that life on the inside, away from the streets, away from the hustle. It’s the end of the line, at least for a while.

Aight, check out these examples. They’ll show you exactly how we use this grammar to talk about all the slick moves that just didn’t pop off.

あのブツは高
たかく売
うれるはずだったが、結局
けっきょく誰
だれにも見
みせられずじまいだった。
That stash was supposed to sell for a high price, but in the end, I never even got to show it to anyone.

ボスに計画
けいかくを話
はなそうと思
おもっていたが、結局
けっきょく機会
きかいがなく話
はなせずじまいだ。
I was planning on telling the boss about the plan, but in the end, the opportunity never came, and I couldn’t tell him.

奴
やつをしめるつもりだったが、結局
けっきょく見
みつけられずじまいだった。
I was gonna put that dude in his place, but in the end, I never got to find him.

アジトから出
でられないまま、結局
けっきょく何
なにもできずじまいだった。
Stuck in the hideout, in the end, I wasn’t able to do a damn thing.

 借金
しゃっきんの取
とり立
たてに行
いくつもりが、組長
くみちょうにとめられて行
かずじまいだ。
I was gonna go collect on a debt, but the boss stopped me, so I never got to go.

 本当
ほんとうはカタギに戻
もどりたかったが、結局
けっきょく戻
もどれずじまいだった。
I really wanted to go back to being straight, but in the end, I was never able to.

あいつに恩義
おんぎを返
かえしたかったが、会
あう機会
きかいがなく、返
かえせずじまいだ。
I wanted to repay that dude for a favor, but I never got the chance to meet him, so I couldn’t repay him.

計画
けいかくは練
ねったが、実行
じっこうに移
うつせずじまいで、ただ時
じが過
すぎていった。
We planned it all out, but we never got to execute it, and time just passed us by.

 妹
いもうとに金
きんを送
おくろうと誓
ちかったが、果
はたせずじまいで、塀
へいの中
なかに入
はいった
I swore I’d send my little sister some cash, but I couldn’t fulfill the promise before I ended up in the slammer.

敵対
てきたいする組
くみの組長
くみちょうを始末
しまつするつもりだったが、結局
けっきょく、果
はたせずじまいだった。
I was planning on taking out the boss of the rival crew, but in the end, I never got to do it.

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Aight, that’s the whole scoop on 〜ずじまい. Now you can sound real slick when you talk about all the big moves you almost made. Stay safe out there, and keep it real.

Peace out, fam. Keep your head on a swivel.