羽 目(はめ)

はめ

noun

predicament, bind, mess

1. predicament, bind, unfortunate situation

An undesirable situation or outcome that someone ends up in, typically as a result of their own actions or circumstances beyond their control. Almost always used in the pattern 〜する羽目(はめ)になる.

電車(でんしゃ)に乗(の)り遅(おく)れて、歩(ある)く羽目(はめ)になった。

I missed the train and ended up having to walk.

約束(やくそく)を忘(わす)れて、謝(あやま)る羽目(はめ)になった。

I forgot my promise and ended up having to apologize.

安(やす)いからと飛(と)びついたら、修理(しゅうり)代(だい)で余計(よけい)に払(はら)う羽目(はめ)になった。

I jumped at it because it was cheap, but ended up paying even more in repair costs.

Usage

羽目(はめ) is almost exclusively used in the pattern 〜する羽目(はめ)になる (to end up having to ~), expressing an undesirable outcome. It always carries a negative nuance — the speaker did not want this result.

Key pattern

verb (dictionary form) + 羽目(はめ)になる (to end up having to ~)
払(はら)う羽目(はめ)になる (to end up having to pay)
待(ま)つ羽目(はめ)になる (to end up having to wait)
やり直(なお)す羽目(はめ)になる (to end up having to redo it)

Similar words

〜する羽目(はめ)になる: emphasizes the undesirable result
〜するはめになる: same meaning (sometimes written without kanji)
〜ざるを得(え)ない: "have no choice but to" (more formal, less focus on misfortune)

general

Added 2026.2.13 21:44 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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