77057
I know that both 末{すえ} and 終了{しゅうりょう} mean "end," but is there a difference
between them?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-04T13:51:41.343
77050
2020-05-04T16:02:05.133
38831
question
word-choice nuances
What is the difference between 末 and 終了?
終了 is in the sense of "completed". E.g. 今日の仕事は終了しました。 - today's work has been
completed / finished

末 refers to the end (part) of something, e.g. 年末{ねんまつ} - the end of the year

Care has to be taken in how you pronounce it, as すえ or まつ. For example here:
１月の末 - the end (part) of January

This can be read in both ways, but generally speaking, すえ would refer to the
last few days of January, whereas まつ refers to the very end, that is, only the
31st of January.

Also, be careful not to mix up 末 and 未. The latter is used when something is
not yet finished, e.g. 未{ま}だ (this is often written in hiragana only), or
未来{みらい} = future, literally "not yet come".
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-04T16:02:05.133
77057
2020-05-04T16:02:05.133
20305
77050
answer