Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
To finish, to be settled, to be sufficient, or to get by. It indicates that a minimal action or condition is enough to resolve a situation.
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate that a situation is concluded or resolved by a particular means, or (more commonly) that a potentially negative outcome or difficult action has been successfully avoided.
📋 Grammar Structure
V-て form + 済む
Not typically used directly. Often requires an intermediate noun or adverbial form (e.g., 安いもので済む).
Not typically used directly. Often requires an intermediate noun or adverbial form (e.g., 簡単な方法で済む).
V-ない form + で済む / V-なくて + 済む
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business or official settings when discussing streamlined processes or avoiding complication (e.g., 会議を開かずにメールで済む).
Informal Situations
Very common in daily conversation to express relief or satisfaction with a simple solution.
Written Language
Used in articles, emails, and reports to describe efficiency, conclusion, or the avoidance of trouble.
Spoken Language
Highly frequent. The negative form (〜なくて済む) is especially natural.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing Sufficiency (Resolution)
Indicates that the preceding action (話し合い – discussion) is enough to resolve the matter. Often emphasizes efficiency or minimal effort.
Example: この問題は話し合いで済む。
Expressing Avoidance (Relief)
This is the most common use (in the negative form). It expresses relief that a potentially troublesome or necessary action (再試験を受ける – taking a re-exam) was avoided.
Example: レポートを提出して、再試験を受けなくて済んだ。
Expressing Minimal Means (with だけで)
Emphasizes that the action or cost was minimal (only buying one pen was sufficient to settle the need).
Example: ペン一本を買うだけで済む。
Frequency
High, especially in spoken language and in its negative form (〜なくて済む).
Difficulty
N3 Intermediate
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
この件は電話で済む話ですか？
Furigana: このけんわでんわですむはなしですか？
Romaji: Kono ken wa denwa de sumu hanashi desu ka?
English: Is this matter something that can be settled just by a phone call?
Example #2
幸いにも、今回は罰金を払わなくて済んだ。
Furigana: さいわいにも、こんかいはばっきんをはらわなくてすんだ。
Romaji: Saiwai ni mo, konkai wa bakkin o harawanakute sunda.
English: Fortunately, I got by without having to pay a fine this time.
Example #3
大した怪我じゃなくて、絆創膏を貼るだけで済んだ。
Furigana: たいしたけがじゃなくて、ばんそうこうをはるだけで済んだ。
Romaji: Taishita kega ja nakute, bansōkō o haru dake de sunda.
English: It wasn’t a serious injury; it was settled just by putting on a band-aid.
Example #4
レポートはA4用紙一枚で済ませてください。
Furigana: レポートはえーふぉーようしいちまいで済ませてください。
Romaji: Repōto wa Ēfō yōshi ichimai de sumasete kudasai.
English: Please finish the report using just one sheet of A4 paper. (Using the transitive form: 済ませる)
Example #5
急いでいたので、昼ご飯はコンビニのおにぎりで済ませた。
Furigana: いそいでいたので、ひるごはんはコンビニのおにぎりで済ませた。
Romaji: Isoide ita node, hirugohan wa konbini no onigiri de sumaseta.
English: Since I was in a hurry, I got by for lunch with a convenience store rice ball. (Using the transitive form)
Example #6
電車で行けば、駐車場の心配をしなくて済む。
Furigana: でんしゃでいけば、ちゅうしゃじょうのしんぱいをしなくて済む。
Romaji: Densha de ikeba, chūshajō no shinpai o shinakute sumu.
English: If we go by train, we won’t have to worry about parking.
Example #7
古い服をリサイクルに出したので、捨てなくて済んだ。
Furigana: ふるいふくをリサイクルにだしたので、すてなくて済んだ。
Romaji: Furui fuku o risaikuru ni dashita node, sutenakute sunda.
English: Since I put the old clothes out for recycling, I didn’t have to throw them away.
Example #8
簡単な修理だったので、費用は五千円で済んだ。
Furigana: かんたんなしゅうりだったので、ひようはごせんえんで済んだ。
Romaji: Kantan na shūri datta node, hiyō wa gosen’en de sunda.
English: Since it was a simple repair, the cost was settled at 5,000 yen.
Example #9
彼女の助けのおかげで、徹夜しなくて済んだ。
Furigana: かのじょのたすけのおかげで、てつやしなくて済んだ。
Romaji: Kanojo no tasuke no okage de, tetsuya shinakute sunda.
English: Thanks to her help, I got by without having to stay up all night.
Example #10
彼が謝るだけで、全部片付いて済むだろう。
Furigana: かれがあやまるだけで、ぜんぶかたづいて済むだろう。
Romaji: Kare ga ayamaru dake de, zenbu katazuite sumu darō.
English: If he just apologizes, the whole matter will probably be resolved.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Emphasis on Minimal Means:
The pattern often follows particles like だけ (dake) or で (de) to emphasize the simple means by which the matter was settled.
Example: 謝るだけで済んだ。
Implication of Resolution:
The core nuance of the pattern is that a situation was “settled” or “resolved” by the action (注意される – being warned), often implying that a worse consequence (e.g., detention) was avoided.
Example: 宿題を忘れたが、先生に注意されるだけで済んだ。
Transitive Form 済ませる:
The transitive form 済ませる (to finish/get by with) is crucial when the subject actively chooses the minimal means to resolve a need (e.g., finishing lunch).
Example: 昼ご飯はパンで済ませた。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Confusing it with 終わる (owaru).
✅ 会議は一時間で終わった。 / 会議は一時間で済んだ。
While both are grammatically correct, 終わる simply means “ended.” 済む implies that the meeting was resolved or completed *satisfactorily* within one hour, often implying efficiency or less time than expected.
❌ Overusing V-る必要がない when expressing relief.
✅ お金を払わないで済む。 / お金を払う必要がない。
While 払う必要がない means “there is no need to pay,” 払わないで済む carries a stronger nuance of relief or success in *avoiding* the action. Use the V-ないで済む form for expressing relief.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral/Standard. Politeness is determined by the final verb conjugation (e.g., 済みます).
Social Situations: Used extensively in situations where efficiency is praised or where the speaker wants to express relief about avoiding a major problem or effort.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations in usage or meaning.
🔍 Subtle Differences
〜なくて済む vs. 〜ないですむ
Both V-なくて済む and V-ないで済む are common and essentially mean the same thing. 〜ないで済む is arguably slightly more common in modern speech.
When to use: Use either, but V-ないで済む is structurally parallel to other V-ないで constructions.
〜て済む vs. 〜だけでいい
〜だけでいい means ‘only this is fine’ (a statement of acceptable condition). 〜て済む means ‘it is resolved/settled by this’ (a statement of conclusion/sufficiency).
When to use: Use 〜て済む when emphasizing that a solution *resolved* the issue; use 〜だけでいい when stating that a condition is minimally acceptable.
📝 Conjugation Notes
済む (すむ) is a Godan verb. The preceding verb must be in the て-form (V-て済む) for sufficiency, or the ない-form followed by で or なくて (V-ないで済む / V-なくて済む) for avoidance. The transitive form, 済ませる (すませる), means “to finish/settle something quickly or with minimal effort.”
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The reading is すむ (sumu), not ずむ (zumu). When used in the negative, V-なくて済む, the なくて flows smoothly into 済む.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of 済む as ‘sum-up’ or ‘settle.’ Use the phrase ‘Sumu with ‘te’ means sufficiency or resolution.’ Remember the relief expressed in the negative: ‘I didn’t have to (V-nakute) settle it (sumu) that way.’
Other Grammar
I’m a software engineer based in Japan, with experience in developing web and mobile applications. I’m passionate about technology, especially in DevOps, AI, and app development using platforms like AWS, Flutter, and Node.js. My goal is to build a website that shares knowledge about the Japanese language and IT, helping everyone learn and grow more easily in the digital era.