最後|さいごsaigo[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounend; conclusion
   大丈夫だいじょうぶ、誠実せいじつでいれば最後さいごには報むくわれるよ。↗

   I can assure you that honesty pays in the long run.
2. no-adjectivelast; final; latest; most recent
   伝説でんせつの最後さいごの部分ぶぶんは後世こうせい付け加つけくわえられたものだ。↗

   The last part of the legend was added later.
3. expressionno sooner than; once; right after (often having negative consequences)after -tara form, or -ta form followed by "ga"
4. nounone's final moments

• SynonymおしまいCasualColloquial for being finished or done, as in 「これでおしまい」; can also mean being done for entirely, with a childish or resigned air.
• Synonym終わりおわりNeutralThe end or finish of something, stressing the state of being over; 「最後」 stresses the last item in a sequence.
• SynonymエンドCasualLoanword for an end or tip, mostly in compounds like 「ハッピーエンド」.
• Synonym末すえWrittenThe tip or end of something, or the end of a period, as in 「月の末」 and 「末っ子」; leans written.
• Synonym終局しゅうきょくWrittenThe close of a go or shogi game, or how an affair winds up, as in 「終局を迎える」; stresses finality.
• Synonym結末けつまつWrittenHow a story or event ends up, as in 「意外な結末」; stresses the way things are wrapped up.
• Synonym終幕しゅうまくWrittenThe last act of a play or the curtain falling on an event; carries a theatrical flavor.
• SynonymフィニッシュCasualLoanword for completing a move or landing in gymnastics; mostly heard in sports.
• SynonymラストCasualLoanword for last, mostly in compounds like 「ラストチャンス」 and 「ラストシーン」.
• Synonym最終さいしゅうNeutralThe final one, mostly as a modifier, as in 「最終電車」 and 「最終回」; leans formal.
• Synonym終結しゅうけつWrittenThe formal end of a war or affair, as in 「戦争の終結」; written/formal prose.
• Synonym末尾まつびWrittenThe end of a text, a string of digits, or a line, as in 「文の末尾」.
• SynonymエンディングCasualLoanword for the closing part of a work or the end-credit song.
• SynonymむすびWrittenThe closing of a piece of writing or a speech, as in 「結びの言葉」.
• Synonym閉幕へいまくWrittenThe curtain falling on a performance or the close of an event, as in 「大会が閉幕する」.
• Synonym幕切れまくぎれWrittenThe fall of the curtain, or how things end, as in 「あっけない幕切れ」.
• Synonym終了しゅうりょうNeutralSomething coming fully to an end, mostly for programs and matches, as in 「試合終了」.
• Synonym終末しゅうまつWrittenThe end of the world or of things, with doomsday overtones, as in 「終末医療」.
• Synonym仕舞いしまいCasualColloquial for wrapping up or the last stretch, mostly in 「仕舞いには」 for in the end; 「最後」 is neutral and works for any last in order.
• Synonym完かんWrittenMostly the 「完」 mark at the end of a work, signaling that the whole thing is over.
• Synonym一巻の終わりいっかんのおわりCasualIdiom for everything being over with no way back; exaggerated or despairing tone.
• Synonym終止しゅうしWrittenWritten word for stopping or ceasing, also the end of a paragraph; 「最後」 stresses the last in a sequence.
• Related終盤しゅうばんNeutralThe stage when a game or undertaking nears its end, as in 「試合の終盤」; not quite finished yet.
• Related終点しゅうてんNeutralThe terminus of a train or bus line, as in 「終点の駅」.
• Related末期まっきNeutralThe final stage of a period, or a late-stage illness, as in 「末期がん」.
• Related大団円だいだんえんWrittenThe grand finale of a novel or play, with an everyone-lives-happily flavor.
• Antonym最初さいしょNeutralAntonym: the very first in a sequence, the opposite of 「最後」.
• AntonymはじめNeutralAntonym: the beginning of something, as in 「始めから最後まで」; also written 「初め」.
• Antonym第一だいいちNeutralAntonym to the sequence sense of 「最後」: first in order.

Default to 「最後」 for the last in a sequence. Use 「終わり」 for something coming to an end, 「最終」 for the final one, 「結末」 for how things turn out, 「終盤」 for the stage nearing the end, and 「終了」 for finishing or termination. The first one is 「最初」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 最もっとも後あと。物事ものごとの終おわり。
2. 反復はんぷくする出来事できごとの最もっとも後あとの回かい。前回ぜんかい。
3. いちばんうしろ。最後さいご部ぶ。
4. （「したら最後さいご」「したが最後さいご」などの形かたちで接続せつぞく助詞じょし的てきに）そこからさきはどうすることもできない、必かならずそうなる、そうする、といったニュアンスを表あらわす。