noun, adverb
distant future; far-off days
Refers to a time far ahead, often with a sense of looking forward or planning. Can be used adverbially as 末々に.
末々のことを考えて貯金する。
I save money thinking about the distant future.
この計画は末々に大きな成果をもたらすだろう。
This plan will bring great results in the long run.
noun
descendants; future generations
Dated term for one's descendants or posterity. Now more commonly expressed as 子孫.
彼は末々に財産を残した。
He left his fortune to his descendants.
noun
Dated term for the lower social strata or ordinary folk. Archaic in modern usage; replaced by 庶民 or 一般大衆.
江戸時代、末々は厳しい生活を強いられた。
In the Edo period, the common people were forced to live harsh lives.
子孫 is the modern, neutral term for descendants, replacing the dated 末々.
庶民 is the current word for 'common people', whereas 末々 is archaic and carries a historical class nuance.
Reduplication of 末 (すえ, 'end' or 'future'), literally 'ends and ends', extending the temporal or social meaning to distant future, descendants, or lower classes.