This is a short way to say 〜てしまう. It means an action is finished. Sometimes it shows you feel sad or surprised about it. Or that it happened by accident.
Verb [て-form] + ちゃうPrimary
Verb [て-form] + じゃう
This is a short way to say 〜てしまう. It means an action is finished. Sometimes it shows you feel sad or surprised about it. Or that it happened by accident.
ああ、うっかり秘密を全部話しちゃった。
Oh no, I accidentally told them all the secrets.
このままだと、終電に乗り遅れちゃうよ！
At this rate, we're going to completely miss the last train!
ごめん、ジュースこぼしちゃった。すぐ拭くね。
Sorry, I spilled the juice. I'll wipe it up right away.
大事な約束だから、絶対に忘れちゃわないようにしないと。
This is an important promise, so I have to make sure I don't forget it.
すみません、間違えてファイルを消しちゃったかもしれません。
Excuse me, I think I might have accidentally deleted the file.
This grammar can show two feelings. It can mean you finished something completely. Or it can mean you did something by accident. It might also show you feel a little bad about it. Think of it like a coin with two sides.
〜ちゃう and 〜じゃう are like a shorter way to say 〜てしまう. You can use 〜てしまう in many situations. But you only use 〜ちゃう and 〜じゃう when you are speaking casually. Do not use them in formal writing or talking. It would sound wrong.
Don't use this when you want to be formal. For example, don't say 「食べちゃう」 to your boss. You use 〜ちゃう with verbs ending in 〜て. For example, 「食べて」 becomes 「食べちゃう」. You use 〜じゃう with verbs ending in 〜で. For example, 「飲んで」 becomes 「飲んじゃう」. The verb 「する」 becomes 「しちゃう」.
Less formal alternatives(1)
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