Meaning of 期末
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the end of a term or semester (in school)
How to use 期末
期末 is used mostly in school settings and often comes before another noun, as in 期末考试 (qīmò kǎoshì, final exam). It pairs naturally with 期中 (qīzhōng, midterm). Example: 我们下周有期末考试。 (Wǒmen xià zhōu yǒu qīmò kǎoshì.) We have final exams next week.
期 (qī) means a set period of time, as in 星期 (xīngqī) week, and 末 (mò) means the end, as in 周末 (zhōumò) weekend. Put them together and you get the end of the period, which for students means the end of the term.
Common mistake: Learners often write 未 (wèi, not yet) instead of 末 (mò). In 末 the top horizontal stroke is longer than the lower one, while in 未 the top stroke is shorter.
期末 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
期 qī · a period of time · 12 strokes
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末 mò · tip · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 期末.
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week |
| 日期 | rìqī | date |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 假期 | jiàqī | holiday period; vacation |
| 学期 | xuéqī | term; semester |
| 长期 | chángqī | long-term; for a protracted period |
| 定期 | dìngqī | at set dates; at regular intervals |
| 短期 | duǎnqī | short-term |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future |
| 期待 | qīdài | to look forward to; to await |
Questions about 期末
What does 期末 mean?
期末 (qīmò) means "the end of a term or semester (in school)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 期末?
期末 is made of 2 characters: 期 (12 strokes), 末 (5 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 期末 an HSK word?
Yes. 期末 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 期末 mean the end of any time period, not just a school term?
In everyday speech it almost always refers to the end of a school term. For the end of a month or year, Chinese uses 月底 (yuèdǐ) or 年底 (niándǐ) instead.
Is 期末 used by itself or only in phrases?
It can stand alone, as in 到了期末很忙 (dào le qīmò hěn máng, it gets busy at the end of term). Students also use 期末 alone as a short way to say final exams.