末|まつmatsu[0]heiban (flat)

1. noun (suffix), nounthe end (of)
   お支払日しはらいびが先月末せんげつまつの請求書せいきゅうしょ５６７８９について、まだお支払しはらいを受うけておりません。↗

   With reference to the invoice No.56789 which was due last month, we have not yet received your remittance.
2. noun (suffix)powder

• Synonym終わりおわりNeutralThe most common everyday word for an end; it stands alone and can also mean the end of one's life. 「末」 mostly works as a suffix, as in 「月末」 and 「年度末」.
• Synonym最後さいごNeutralMeans the last in a sequence or the very final one, with the broadest range of use. 「末」 attaches to time words for the tail end of a period.
• Synonym終末しゅうまつWrittenWritten style for the end of something, or of the world, as in 「終末期」 and 「終末論」. Unlike 「末」, it does not attach after time words.
• Synonym終局しゅうきょくWrittenWritten style for the final outcome of a situation, and for the end of a game of go or shogi. 「末」 attaches to time words to mark the end of a period.
• SynonymエンドNeutralLoanword for an end or tip, common in compounds like 「エンドユーザー」. It does not follow years or months to mean the end of a period.
• Synonym最終さいしゅうNeutralRefers to the last one or final stage, also the last train or bus; often modifies nouns, as in 「最終回」. 「末」 attaches to time words for period ends.
• Synonym結末けつまつNeutralThe final result or outcome of events or a story, with emphasis on how things turn out. 「末」 mostly serves as a suffix for the end of a period.
• Synonym末尾まつびWrittenThe last part of a text, a string of numbers, a line and so on, as in 「文の末尾」. 「末」 is mostly used of time, as in 「月末」.
• Synonym終幕しゅうまくWrittenWritten style for the final act of a play, by extension the close of an affair. 「末」 carries no curtain-fall imagery of this kind.
• SynonymエンディングNeutralThe closing part of a work or event. 「末」 marks the end of a stretch of time.
• SynonymフィニッシュNeutralThe act of finishing or wrapping up, mostly in sports, such as a gymnastics landing. 「末」 does not express the completion of an action.
• SynonymラストCasualColloquial loanword for last or the last one, as in 「ラストチャンス」. 「末」 mostly works as a suffix after time words.
• Synonym終結しゅうけつWrittenWritten style for the formal conclusion of a war or affair. 「末」 mostly serves as a suffix marking the end of a period.
• Synonym終了しゅうりょうNeutralThe end of an activity or program, frequent in notices and announcements, as in 「営業終了」. 「末」 marks the final part of a period rather than the act of finishing.
• Synonym閉幕へいまくNeutralThe closing of a performance, conference or games. 「末」 marks the end of a period and is not used for events drawing to a close.
• Synonym終焉しゅうえんWrittenWritten style for the end of a life or an era, with a solemn, weighty feel. 「末」 is mostly a suffix and has none of this color.
• Synonym幕切れまくぎれNeutralThe fall of the curtain at the end of an act, by extension how things end, as in 「あっけない幕切れ」. 「末」 has no such use.
• Synonym終点しゅうてんNeutralThe last stop of a train or bus, or the end of a route; it points to a place. 「末」 mostly refers to the end of a time span.
• Synonym末期まっきNeutralA stretch of time approaching the end of an era or process, as in 「江戸末期」; it can stand alone. 「末」 is a suffix after time words, as in 「江戸末」 and 「世紀末」.
• Synonym仕舞いしまいCasualColloquial, for a matter coming to a close or being wrapped up, as in 「これでお仕舞い」. 「末」 attaches to time words to mark the end of a period.
• Synonym大団円だいだんえんWrittenWritten style for the happy grand finale of a novel or play. Its use is entirely different from 「末」, which marks the end of a period.
• Synonym完かんNeutralUsed at the end of a work, marked 「完」, to signal 'The End'. 「末」 is not used this way; it points to the end of a period.
• AntonymはじめNeutralThe beginning of a thing or period, the opposite of the end that 「末」 marks, as in 「月の始め」 versus 「月末」.
• Antonym元もとNeutralThe origin or root of a thing; opposed to 「末」 as the starting point, as 「本」 is in 「本末」.

「末」 mostly works as a suffix attached to time words to mark the end of a period, as in 「月末」. For an end in general, pick 「終わり」 or 「最後」; for how a story turns out, 「結末」; for an activity or program ending, 「終了」. The other words cover narrower senses: 「末尾」 for the end of a text, 「終点」 for the last stop, 「終幕」 and 「幕切れ」 for the stage, 「終焉」 for life or eras, 「末期」 for closing years.

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

1. 物ものや時間じかん、事柄ことがらなどの最後さいごの部分ぶぶん。
2. 細こまかく砕くだいた粉こな状じょうのもの。