Meaning of 末
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- tip
- end
- final stage
- latter part
- inessential detail
- powder
- dust
- opera role of old man
- variant of 麼|么[me5]
How to use 末
末 rarely stands alone in speech and mostly appears in words about endings or powder, such as 周末 (zhōumò) weekend, 期末 (qīmò) end of term, and 粉末 (fěnmò) powder. Example: 这个周末你有空吗？(Zhège zhōumò nǐ yǒu kòng ma?) Are you free this weekend?
末 (mò) is a tree 木 with a long stroke across the top, marking the very tip of the branches. The tip is where the tree ends, so 末 means end or final part.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 末 (mò, end) with 未 (wèi, not yet). In 末 the top horizontal stroke is longer than the lower one, while in 未 the top stroke is shorter.
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.
末 mò · tip · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 末.
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 期末 | qīmò | the end of a term or semester (in school) |
| 末日 | mòrì | last day; end |
| 世界末日 | shìjièmòrì | end of the world |
| 芥末 | jièmo | mustard; wasabi |
| 粉末 | fěnmò | fine powder; dust |
| 末期 | mòqī | end (of a period); last part |
| 末端 | mòduān | tip; extremity |
| 世纪末 | shìjìmò | end of the century |
| 年末 | niánmò | end of the year |
| 期末考 | qīmòkǎo | final exam |
| 末尾 | mòwěi | end; tip; extremity |
Questions about 末
What does 末 mean?
末 (mò) means "tip; end" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 末?
末 is made of 1 character: 末 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 末 an HSK word?
Yes. 末 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 芥末 pronounced jièmo and not jièmò?
In 芥末 (jièmo) the second syllable is usually read in the neutral tone in everyday speech. It means mustard or wasabi, and the 末 here connects to the powder sense of the character.
What is the difference between 末 and 最后 when talking about the end?
最后 (zuìhòu) is the common everyday word for last or finally and can stand alone. 末 is mostly used inside fixed words like 周末, 期末 and 末日, or in more formal phrases like 月末 (yuèmò) end of the month.