済む

• Reading: すむ
• Romaji: sumu
• Formation: Verb て-form + 済む / ～で済む / ～なくて済む / ～ずに済む / ～ば済む
• Kanji breakdown: 済 (finish, relieve, settle)

Meaning

A verb meaning 'to be finished,' 'to be settled,' or 'to suffice,' used to express that something is completed or that a minimal effort or outcome is enough to resolve a situation.

済む has two main grammatical uses. First, it means 'to be finished' or 'to be settled' (用事が済む, 話が済む). Second, and more grammatically distinctive, is the pattern ～で済む / ～ば済む / ～なくて済む, meaning 'to get by with' or 'to be resolved by.' This second usage is common in expressions like 謝って済む問題ではない (it's not something that can be resolved with an apology) and それで済むなら (if that settles it). The negative ～なくて済む / ～ずに済む means 'to be able to avoid having to do something.' Unlike 終わる, which simply means 'to end,' 済む carries a nuance of resolution or sufficiency — the matter is not just over, but settled satisfactorily or with acceptable consequences.

Examples

1. 手術をせずに済んだのは不幸中の幸いだった。 It was a blessing in disguise that surgery was avoided.
2. 謝って済む問題ではないことを、彼はまだ理解していない。 He still doesn't understand that this is not something that can be settled with an apology.
3. 修理代が数千円で済んだのは意外だった。 It was surprising that the repair cost was only a few thousand yen.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: pragmatic

Do Say

• 大事に至らず、軽い怪我で済んだのは幸運だった。
• 書類を郵送しなくても、メールの添付で済むそうだ。
• 金で済む話なら、とっくに解決しているはずだ。
• 簡単な挨拶だけで済ませるわけにはいかない場面だった。

Don't Say

• 宿題が済んだから遊びに行った。済むは嬉しい。 (Using 済む as an adjective or describing it as an emotion — 済む is a verb describing completion, not a feeling) → 宿題が済んだから遊びに行った。終わって嬉しかった。
• 映画が済んだ。 (Using 済む for entertainment ending — 済む implies settling a matter or obligation, not simply the end of an activity one chose for leisure) → 映画が終わった。

Origin & History

済む originates from the classical verb 済む (すむ), written with the kanji 済 meaning 'to finish' or 'to relieve.' The character 済 carries connotations of rescue and completion in Chinese, and these meanings were adopted into Japanese. The grammatical pattern of sufficiency developed during the Edo period.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal