果てる|はてるhateru[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto end; to be finished; to be exhausted
- ichidan verb, intransitive verbto die; to perish
- ichidan verb, auxiliary verbto do utterly; to do completelyindicates an extreme has been reached
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 果てる（はてる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 果てます（はてます） |
| Negative (nai) | 果てない（はてない） |
| polite (masen) | 果てません（はてません） |
| classical zu / nu | 果てず・果てぬ（はてず・はてぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 果てた（はてた） |
| polite (mashita) | 果てました（はてました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 果てなかった（はてなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 果てませんでした（はてませんでした） |
| Te form | 果てて（はてて） |
| Potential | 果てられる（はてられる） |
| Passive | 果てられる（はてられる） |
| Causative | 果てさせる（はてさせる） |
| Causative passive | 果てさせられる（はてさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 果てれば（はてれば） |
| tara | 果てたら（はてたら） |
| Volitional | 果てよう（はてよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 果てましょう（はてましょう） |
| Imperative | 果てろ（はてろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
命が果てる
果てる marks the natural or final end of something (often life), while 果たす focuses on actively fulfilling a duty or purpose.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym滅びるほろびるNeutralFor a nation, race, or the like declining and vanishing as a whole; 「果てる」 centers on a life or affair simply reaching its end.
- Synonym空しくなるむなしくなるWrittenA written, old-fashioned euphemism for dying, rarely seen today; 「果てる」 can also describe affairs simply coming to an end.
- Synonym滅するめっするWrittenA written verb for perishing or (of a fire) going out, also transitive 'to destroy'; it carries a Buddhist tinge that 「果てる」 does not.
- Related旅立つたびだつNeutralLiterally 'to set off on a journey', but also a tender euphemism for passing away; 「果てる」 lacks this gentle coloring.
- Related眠るねむるNeutralBasically 'to sleep', but also a euphemism for eternal rest, as in 「安らかに眠る」; it can further mean resources lying unused.
- Related往生おうじょうNeutralA noun: in Buddhism, rebirth in the Pure Land; broadly, death; figuratively, resignation or helplessness, as in 「立ち往生」.
- Related成仏じょうぶつNeutralA noun for attaining Buddhahood or resting in peace after death, with a Buddhist overtone; 「果てる」 has no religious coloring.
- Related他界たかいWrittenA written noun offering a polite euphemism for death, common in obituaries; more restrained than 「死ぬ」 or 「果てる」.
- Related死ぬしぬNeutralThe most direct, everyday verb for dying; it lacks 「果てる」's overtones of reaching the end of something or doing it completely.
- RelatedくたばるCasualCoarse colloquial slang for dying or being worn out, with an insulting edge; unusable in formal settings.
- Related絶え入るたえいるWrittenA written verb for drawing one's last breath, focused on the moment breathing stops; 「果てる」 also covers affairs ending, not just death.
- Related没するぼっするWrittenA written verb for sinking or (of the sun) setting, and for passing away, as in 「異国に没する」.
- Relatedお隠れになるおかくれになるFormalAn honorific for the death of an exalted person, solemn and often used of royalty; 「果てる」 carries no such respect.
- Antonym始まるはじまるNeutralAntonym: for things getting started — the opposite of 「果てる」 when it means an affair coming to an end.
- Antonym生まれるうまれるNeutralAntonym: to be born — the opposite of 「果てる」 when it means a life coming to an end.
「果てる」 covers affairs coming to an end and lives passing away, and as an auxiliary adds the sense of doing something utterly, as in 「疲れ果てる」. Speak of death directly with 「死ぬ」, euphemistically with 「他界」 or 「旅立つ」; for the ruin of a nation or people use 「滅びる」. The remaining words are narrower or more colored — honorific 「お隠れになる」, coarse 「くたばる」, and so on.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
