末|すえsue[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounend; tip; top
2. nounend (of the year, month, etc.); close
   彼かれは来月らいげつの末すえでここに１０年間ねんかん住すむことになる。↗

   He will have lived here for ten years by the end of next month.
3. no-adjectiveyoungest child
   末すえの娘むすめにはいつもリンゴの３分ぶんの１が与あたえられる。↗

   One-third of an apple is always given to our youngest daughter.
4. noundescendants; offspring; posterityusu. 〜の末
5. nounfuture
6. adverb, noun(finally) after; (at last) after; at the end ofas 〜の末 or 〜した末
   試行錯誤しこうさくごの末すえ、彼かれはふと正ただしい答こたえを思おもいついた。↗

   Through trial and error, he found the right answer by chance.

   よく考かんがえた末すえ、私は家いえにいることに決きめた。↗

   After some careful thought, I elected to stay at home.
7. no-adjectivetrifles; trivialities
8. noundegenerate age

• Synonym先端せんたんNeutralThe tip of something long and thin, or the forefront of a field; spatial in emphasis, while 末 usually marks the last point of a time or sequence.
• Synonym端はしNeutralAn edge or one end of something, as in 「紙の端」; mainly spatial, while 末 is mainly about the tail end of time.
• Synonym末端まったんNeutralThe far end of an object, or the grassroots level of an organization; spatial and structural, while 末 points to the close of a time or process.
• Synonym最後さいごNeutralThe everyday word for last, and the most common of all; 末 is the more written choice or appears in fixed phrases.
• Synonym末期まっきWrittenA written word. Read まつご it means the hour of death; read まっき, the final stage, as in 「末期がん」.
• Synonym先っぽさきっぽCasualColloquial for the tip of a concrete object; it never covers time or processes, where 末 is at home.
• Synonym端っこはしっこCasualColloquial for an edge or corner; strictly spatial, while 末 leans toward the end of time.
• Related終わりおわりNeutralThe all-purpose everyday word for an end; 末 is the more written-flavoured choice, seen in set phrases like 「月の末」 and 「苦労の末」.
• RelatedおしまいCasualColloquial for being finished or done, and for everything being over; the tone is casual.
• Related終末しゅうまつWrittenA written word for the end of events, works, or the world itself, as in 「終末期」 and 「終末論」.
• Related終局しゅうきょくWrittenThe end of a matter or of a game of go or shogi, as in 「終局を迎える」; leans written.
• RelatedエンドNeutralA loanword for the end or ending, used mostly inside compounds like 「ハッピーエンド」.
• Related最終さいしゅうNeutralThe last in a series or the final stage, as in 「最終回」 and 「最終電車」; the focus is on being last in a sequence.
• Related結末けつまつNeutralHow a matter turns out in the end, as in 「意外な結末」; the focus is on the final result.
• Related末尾まつびNeutralThe last part of a text, a string of numbers, or the like, as in 「文の末尾」; leans written.
• Related終幕しゅうまくWrittenThe final act of a play, or a matter drawing to its close; written and often figurative.
• RelatedエンディングNeutralA loanword for the closing part of a work, as in 「映画のエンディング」.
• RelatedフィニッシュNeutralA loanword for finishing, a final sprint, or a gymnastics landing; mostly heard in sports.
• RelatedラストNeutralA loanword for last, as in 「ラストシーン」 and 「ラストチャンス」; common in everyday speech.
• Related終結しゅうけつWrittenThe bringing of a dispute or affair to an end; leans formal.
• Related終ついNeutralThe same word as the entry above; 「終」 is only an alternate spelling. It can also mean the far end of one side, as in 「列の終わり」.
• Related仕舞いしまいCasualThe last or the close of something, as in 「仕舞いには泣き出した」; colloquial, and leaning toward how a matter turns out.
• Related結尾けつびWrittenA written word for the close of a text or piece of music; little used today.
• Related末期まつごWrittenA written word. Read まつご it means the hour of death; read まっき, the final stage, as in 「末期がん」.
• AntonymはじめNeutralThe beginning or start of something — the direct opposite of 末 as the tail end.
• Antonym元もとNeutralThe root or origin of something; opposed to 末 in the antonym pair 本末.

「末」(すえ) marks the last part of a time or process, as in 「月の末」 and 「苦労の末」, and leans written. In everyday speech say 「最後」 or 「終わり」; for how things turn out use 「結末」; for spatial tips use 「先端」 or 「端」. 「末尾」 is for the tail of a text, 「最終」 for the last in a series, 「末期」 for a final stage or the deathbed, and 「終末」 for the written-flavoured end of events, works, or the world. The loanwords 「ラスト」 and 「エンディング」 are common for casual talk and for the endings of works, while 「始め」 and 「元」 are the opposites.

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

1. （すえ）終おわり。