After much, at the end of: 〜末（に）
Verb-た / N の + 末（に）／末の + N
Verb-た / N の + 末（に）: after long effort or reflection, you reach a result, neutral or positive. Serious tone, rather written. Not to be confused with 月末（まつ）, the end of the month.
In short
末 (すえ, “end, tip”) after a past-tense verb or a noun with の presents a result reached at the end of long efforts, reflection or many stages: “after much…, at the end of”. The outcome is neutral or positive. The tone is serious, rather written: newspapers, reports, narratives.
- 長い話し合いの末、両社は合意した。ながいはなしあいのすえ、りょうしゃはごういした。After lengthy negotiations, the two companies reached an agreement.
- 悩んだ末に、会社をやめて名古屋に戻ることにした。なやんだすえに、かいしゃをやめてなごやにもどることにした。After much soul-searching, I decided to leave my company and move back to Nagoya.
- 三年間の研究の末、ようやく原因が分かった。さんねんかんのけんきゅうのすえ、ようやくげんいんがわかった。After three years of research, the cause was finally found.
The basics
末 means “the tip, the end”. 〜た末に is “having reached the end of…”: you stress the road travelled (efforts, hesitations, attempts) before reaching the result. That result is presented objectively, and it's often welcome: an agreement, a decision, a success, a discovery.
It's a construction of serious narration: you read it in newspapers (交渉の末, 激しい戦いの末) and use it to tell of an important decision.
After lengthy negotiations, the two companies reached an agreement.
- adjective
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 何度も失敗した末に、ついに新しい薬が完成した。なんどもしっぱいしたすえに、ついにあたらしいくすりがかんせいした。After repeated failures, the new drug was at last completed.
How to form it
Verb in the plain past or noun + の, then 末, 末に or 末の + noun. 末 on its own (without に) is even more written.
| Base | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb-た | 〜た末（に） | 考えた末に |
| Noun | N の末（に） | 話し合いの末 |
| Before a noun | 〜末の N | 苦労の末の成功 |
| Doubled for emphasis | 〜に〜た末 | 考えに考えた末 |
- 考えに考えた末、その仕事を引き受けることにした。かんがえにかんがえたすえ、そのしごとをひきうけることにした。After thinking it over again and again, I decided to take the job.
- これは十年の苦労の末の成功だ。これはじゅうねんのくろうのすえのせいこうだ。This is a success that crowns ten years of hard work.
“End of the month”: the other 末
Attached to a time word, 末 simply means the end of a period and is read まつ: 月末（げつまつ）, 今月末（こんげつまつ）, 週末（しゅうまつ）, 年末（ねんまつ）. It's not the same use: here, there's no idea of effort.
- レポートの締め切りは今月末です。れぽーとのしめきりはこんげつまつです。The report deadline is the end of this month.
末に, あげく, 結果
あげく (previous point): same structure, but an unfortunate outcome and an irritated tone. 結果 (“result”) is the most neutral: it simply links a cause and a consequence, with no idea of long struggle (調べた結果, 検査の結果).
| Construction | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜た末に | after long effort, neutral or good outcome | 悩んだ末に決めた |
| 〜たあげく | after long hassle, bad outcome | 迷ったあげく買わなかった |
| 〜た結果 | simple result | 調べた結果、分かった |
- 調べた結果、間違いが見つかった。しらべたけっか、まちがいがみつかった。On checking, a mistake was found. (simple result)
Common mistakes
- Reading 〜た末に as まつ: after a verb or a noun + の, it's すえ. まつ is for 月末, 週末, 年末.
- Mixing up 今月末 (the end of this month) and 〜の末 (at the end of): the first is a date, the second an outcome.
- Using 末に for an absurd, annoying outcome: that's あげく.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line (History and traditions) of the Nagoya lines.