Meaning & usage
っぱなし describes an action left unfinished or a resulting state left unchanged, often with a sense that it continues longer than desired or was left carelessly. It attaches to the masu stem of a verb, as in 開けっぱなし or 立ちっぱなし, and is also written っ放し, and it is often followed by にする or だ to describe the ongoing state. It is common in everyday conversation to complain or give warnings, and it usually carries a negative nuance, so avoid using it for neutral continuing actions.
Example sentences 4
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夕べドアを開けっ放しにしたのは君ですか。
Was it you that left the door open last night?
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水道の水がちょろちょろと出っぱなしで困ってるんだよ。
It's a problem that the tap keeps leaking.
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バスの中に空席がなかったので、私は立ちっぱなしだった。
Since there was no vacant seat on the bus, I stood the whole way.
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彼は、ラジオをつけっぱなしにして、寝てしまった。
He fell asleep with the radio on.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 2 past exam questions.
