結末|けつまつketsumatsu[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounend; conclusion
   物語ものがたりは結末けつまつに近ちかづいた。↗

   The story drew to a conclusion.

• Synonym終局しゅうきょくWrittenWritten/formal prose. The end or settling of a matter, or the close of a game of go or shogi; stresses that things are brought to a close.
• Synonym終末しゅうまつWrittenWritten/formal prose. The tail end or termination of something; seen mostly in 「終末期医療」 or doomsday contexts.
• Synonym終幕しゅうまくWrittenWritten/formal prose. The final act of a play, used figuratively for an affair or drama coming to its close.
• Synonym幕切れまくぎれNeutralNeutral. How the curtain falls, as in 「あっけない幕切れ」; focuses on the manner in which things end.
• SynonymエンディングNeutralNeutral loanword. The ending of a film, show or game, or its closing theme song.
• SynonymおしまいCasualColloquial. That something is over, done with, or all for; says nothing about how it ended.
• Synonym帰結きけつWrittenWritten/formal prose. A conclusion that an argument or action leads to; a bookish, logical term.
• SynonymむすびNeutralNeutral. The closing part of a text or speech; about how the words wind up, not how the plot ends.
• Synonym結果けっかNeutralNeutral. The most common word for a result; centers on cause and effect, while 「結末」 is about how a story or affair ends.
• Synonym最後さいごNeutralNeutral. The broadest word for the last or final thing; also seen in 「…したが最後」.
• Synonym末まつWrittenWritten/formal prose. The end of a period, or what follows a process, as in 「試行錯誤の末」 or 「来月の末」; an endpoint, not a way of closing out.
• Related終結しゅうけつWrittenWritten/formal prose. The ending of wars, conflicts and disputes; stresses the state of termination.
• Related終焉しゅうえんWrittenWritten/formal prose. The end of a life or an era; carries a solemn, weighty tone.
• Related終わりおわりNeutralNeutral. The most common word for an end or endpoint; 「結末」 by contrast stresses how a story or affair works out.
• Related最終さいしゅうNeutralNeutral. The last or final one, as in 「最終回」 or 「最終電車」 (the last train).
• Related末すえWrittenWritten/formal prose. The end of a period, or what follows a process, as in 「試行錯誤の末」 or 「来月の末」; an endpoint, not a way of closing out.
• Related終盤しゅうばんNeutralNeutral. The final stage of a game, match or election; stresses the state of play rather than the outcome.
• Related最期さいごWrittenWritten/formal prose. The last moments of a life, or death itself, as in 「壮絶な最期」.
• Related閉幕へいまくWrittenWritten/formal prose. The closing of a conference or event; stresses a formal, official end.
• Related末尾まつびWrittenWritten/formal prose. The tail end of a document, list or text; purely about position, not how a story concludes.
• RelatedフィニッシュNeutralNeutral loanword. Finishing or completing something; in gymnastics, the landing.
• RelatedラストCasualColloquial loanword. The last or final part, as in 「ラストシーン」.
• Related末期まっきWrittenWritten/formal prose. One's final moments or deathbed, as in 「末期の水」; a solemn term.
• Related終ついNeutralNeutral. Same word as above: 「終」 is just another way of writing 「終わり」, with the same meaning.
• Related仕舞いしまいCasualColloquial. An end or wrap-up; also a noh dance in plain clothes.
• Related結尾けつびWrittenWritten/formal prose. The closing part of a piece of writing or music.
• Antonym始まりはじまりNeutralNeutral antonym. A beginning or start, the opposite of the closing sense of 「結末」.
• Antonym冒頭ぼうとうWrittenWritten/formal prose antonym. The opening of a text or talk, opposite to the closing sense of 「結末」.
• Antonym開始かいしWrittenWritten/formal prose antonym. A start or commencement, the opposite of 「結末」.

Use 「結末」 for how a story or affair works out, as in 「意外な結末」. For a film or game ending say 「エンディング」, for a cause-and-effect result 「結果」, and for how the curtain falls 「幕切れ」. 「終わり」 is the everyday all-purpose word. The opposites are 「冒頭」 and 「始まり」.

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

1. できごとや物語ものがたり、それを記しるした文章ぶんしょうなどの終おわり。最終的さいしゅうてきな結果けっか。