How to say "termination" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 解除かいじょnoun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers termination in the legal sense of ending a contract or agreement — cancellation or rescission. Choose this when 'termination' means dissolving a contractual relationship rather than something simply coming to an end.
- 満了まんりょうnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbTermination in the sense of a fixed term or period running out — expiration. Use it when something ends because its allotted time is up, rather than because someone ends it.
- 終了しゅうりょうnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbThe general word for an end or conclusion: termination of an activity, process, or event. When 'termination' just means something stopping or finishing, this is usually the word you want.
- 消滅しょうめつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbIts core meaning is extinction or vanishing: something ceasing to exist or losing effect, such as a right or obligation. For the termination of contracts or activities it is seldom the word you want.
- 終末しゅうまつnounPoints to the final stage or closing part of something — the end of a period, a story, or the like — rather than the act of terminating. As a rendering of 'termination' it is only marginal.
Use 解除 for terminating a contract, 満了 for a term expiring, 終了 for ending an activity or process, 消滅 for something ceasing to exist, and 終末 for a final stage rather than the act of termination.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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