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先端 (せんたん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 の 先せん 端たん が 尖とが る the tip of something is sharp/pointed
The tip of this pencil is very sharp.
〈 事こと 〉 の 先せん 端たん を 行い く to be at the cutting edge of something
That company is developing products at the cutting edge of the times.
〈 事こと 〉 の 先せん 端たん に 立た つ to stand at the forefront of something
He is a researcher standing at the forefront of medical technology.
Kanji 尖 be pointed, sharp, taper Related words· 11 最先端 stresses the absolute cutting edge (state-of-the-art), while 先端 is the more neutral word for any leading edge or tip.
先 is a broader, everyday word that can mean tip, destination, or future, whereas 先端 specifically singles out the pointed extremity of something.
端 refers to any edge or end (not necessarily pointed), while 先端 emphasizes the sharp or foremost tip of that edge.
先端 is the modern standard word for the tip or pointed end of something, while 末 (うら) is an archaic term no longer used in everyday Japanese.
Show 7 more 穂 names the tapering tip of an elongated object like a brush or spear, while 先端 is the general, everyday word for the tip or point of anything.
頭 casually refers to the top or tip of something, while 先端 is the more formal, technical word for the leading edge or tip of an object.
先端 is a general, formal word for the tip or point of any object, while 鼻先 is specifically tied to the nose or things right in front of one's face.
Opposites 根元 is the base or root of an elongated object, the opposite end from the 先端 (tip).
先端 means the tip or end of something, the opposite of 根元, which is the base or root.
Don't confuse with 先頭 means the front position in a line or group of people, while 先端 refers to a physical tip or the frontier of a field, not a position among people.
末端 refers to the far end or trailing extremity of something, while 先端 refers to the leading tip or cutting edge, as in technology or trends.
Written forms 先せん 端たん Usage 96%
Standard kanji spelling for both physical tip and cutting-edge meanings.
尖せん 端たん Usage 4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 先端 is overwhelmingly preferred in modern writing.
Etymology Compound of 先 (saki, 'tip, ahead') and 端 (tan, 'end, edge'). The kanji combination naturally conveys both physical and metaphorical leading points.
先せん 進しん
先端 highlights being at the very forefront or cutting edge, while 先進 emphasizes overall advancement or development, as in countries or systems.
先端 refers to the physical tip or cutting edge of something, while 先頭 refers to the leading position in a line, group, or sequence.
先端 means the tip or leading edge of something and is used more broadly (including figuratively, as in cutting-edge technology), while 端末 in this sense just refers to the physical end of a cord or roll.
先端 is a formal, technical word for the very tip or forefront of something, whereas 端っこ is casual and everyday.
advanced technology; cutting-edge technology; high-tech