末
末·end, tip, final part
- On-yomi
- マツバツ
- Kun-yomi
- すえ
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Stroke order
Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.
Common words
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 週末 | しゅうまつ | weekend |
| 月末 | げつまつ | end of the month |
| 年末 | ねんまつ | end of the year |
| 末 | すえ | the end, the youngest |
Example sentences
週末は家族と過ごします。
しゅうまつはかぞくとすごします。
I spend weekends with my family.
月末までに払ってください。
げつまつまでにはらってください。
Please pay by the end of the month.
年末はどこも込んでいます。
ねんまつはどこもこんでいます。
Everywhere is crowded at the end of the year.
Similar-looking kanji
Do not confuse these on the exam.
Common mistakes
- Writing 未 in place of 末 in 週末
- Reading 月末 as *つきまつ instead of げつまつ
Memory aid
Picture it
木 (tree) with a long stroke drawn across the very top — you are marking the far tip of the branch.
Vocabulary using this kanji
- 末すえthe end, the close (of a period); the youngest (child)
- 粗末そまつplain, crude, shabby; careless (treatment)
- 週末しゅうまつweekend
- 端末たんまつterminal, device
- 月末げつまつend of the month
- 末っ子すえっこyoungest child
- 末筆まっぴつclosing (of a letter)
- 枝葉末節しようまっせつtrivial details
- 本末転倒ほんまつてんとうputting the cart before the horse
- 始末しまつdealing with; disposal; clearing up afterwards; (bad) state of affairs; circumstances
- 末期まっきthe closing years; the last stage; the terminal phase
- 粉末ふんまつfine powder
Quick check
1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 2 of 5
What does the kanji 末 mean?