Log inSign up

kekkyoku watasi ha eki made arukimasita.

結局けっきょく　私わたし　は　駅えき　まで　歩あるきました。kekkyoku watasi ha eki made arukimasita.
In the end, I walked to the station.
FromLesson 22inHardcore Japanese
……

Questions & Answers about kekkyoku watasi ha eki made arukimasita.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

けっきょく、わたしは えきまで あるきました。 Romanization: Kekkyoku, watashi wa eki made arukimashita.

Why is the particle は pronounced “wa” here?
The topic marker は is read as wa (not ha) when used as a particle. This is an irregular historical reading specific to the particle use.
What nuance does 結局 add? Is it like “finally” or “after all”?

結局 (kekkyoku) means “in the end/after all,” often implying that despite other possibilities or efforts, this was the eventual outcome. It can be neutral or slightly resigned in tone. Rough comparisons:

  • やっぱり: “as expected/after all” with a stronger “just as I thought” feel.
  • とうとう/ついに: “finally/at last,” often after a long wait or buildup.
  • 最終的に: “ultimately,” more formal/neutral.
Do I need a comma after 結局? Where can I place 結局 in the sentence?

A comma after 結局 is common and helps readability: 結局、私は駅まで歩きました。 Placement:

  • Natural: 結局、私は駅まで歩きました。
  • Also fine: 私は結局、駅まで歩きました。
  • Less natural: 駅まで結局歩きました。 (sounds awkward) In speech, 結局 usually appears near the start of the clause it modifies.
Why is は used after 私? Could I use が instead?
は marks the topic: “As for me, …” It presents what you’re going to talk about. が marks the subject and often highlights or contrasts the doer. 私が駅まで歩きました is possible when emphasizing “It was I (not someone else) who walked,” but the neutral choice here is 私は.
Do I need to say 私 at all?
No. Japanese often omits pronouns when they’re clear from context. 結局、駅まで歩きました。 is very natural. Use 私は if you need contrast/emphasis (e.g., “I, as opposed to others”).
What does まで mean here? Does it imply I reached the station?
まで marks an endpoint “up to/as far as.” With movement, 駅まで strongly implies you reached the station. If you didn’t, you’d qualify it, e.g., 駅の近くまで歩きました (“I walked up to near the station”).
Why can’t I say 駅に歩きました?

With 歩く, Japanese typically doesn’t mark the destination with に. You either:

  • Mark the endpoint with まで: 駅まで歩きました, or
  • Use 行く for the destination and make 歩いて the manner: 歩いて駅に行きました (“I went to the station on foot”).
Is 駅へ歩きました okay?

駅へ歩きました is grammatical but sounds stiff/unnatural in everyday speech. More natural:

  • 駅まで歩きました (to the station)
  • 駅へ向かって歩きました (walked toward the station) if you mean direction rather than arrival.
Can I say 歩いて行きました? What’s the difference from 歩きました?
  • 駅まで歩きました focuses on the act of walking to that endpoint (arrival implied).
  • 歩いて駅に行きました explicitly says “went to the station by walking” and highlights the going/arrival with 行く. Both are natural; the latter sounds a bit more explicit about “going.”
How flexible is the word order around 私 and 駅まで?

Reasonably flexible as long as particles stay with their words:

  • 結局、私は駅まで歩きました。
  • 結局、駅まで歩きました。 (omitting 私)
  • 私は結局、駅まで歩きました。 Shuffling without particles or splitting set phrases can sound odd.
What politeness/tense is 歩きました? What’s the casual form?
歩きました is polite past (or polite perfective). The casual past is 歩いた. Present/polite would be 歩きます; present/casual 歩く.
How does 歩きました come from 歩く?
Dictionary form 歩く → ます-stem 歩き (the く changes to き) → polite past 歩きました.
Could I use 結局は instead of 結局?
結局は exists and adds a contrastive “as for the end result” feel, often in longer discourse: 色々試したが、結局は歩きました。 In a single-sentence report, plain 結局 is more common.
How would I say “I walked from home to the station”?
Use から ... まで: 家から駅まで歩きました。
Why are there spaces in the example? What’s the standard way to write it?

Japanese normally doesn’t use spaces between words. The standard punctuation would be: 結局、私は駅まで歩きました。

More from this lesson

tama niwatasi ha tama ni tosyokan de syousetu wo yomimasu.zimotokanozyo ha tama ni itiba de zimoto no yasai wo kau.sitensudeniakuzimoto no siten ha sudeni aite iru kara, sugu ikeru.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Japanese

Master Japanese — from kekkyoku watasi ha eki made arukimasita to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Japanese freeBrowse the full course