How to Tell 未 and 末 Apart

January 11, 2025 - By Ayumi

Aaarggggh a pair of kanji that look really similar! I recently came across these two kanji in my WaniKani studies and unsurprisingly they confused me. Here’s a couple of different ways to help tell these two kanji apart.

Jet Mnemonic

Imagine 未 as a jet. See its little fins and tail of flames coming out the bottom, launching into the sky and beyond?

未
Meaning: not yet
Onyomi: み

The radical version of this kanji is “jet” in WaniKani. Jets need to be aerodynamic to be fast, so the top horizontal line is shorter than the bottom one.

Despite its speed, there’s a kid in the back asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” You just have to keep responding, “not yet!”

This has been going on for hours, and you’re getting pretty irritated. All the kid can think about is “Me (み) me me me me me” without any regard towards your feelings. So annoying.

末
Meaning: end
Onyomi: まつ

In WaniKani they tell you that this uses a modified “jet” radical. You’ll notice that the top horizontal line is longer than the bottom one. This jet carries more fuel in the extra space at the top. It’s designed to go far, not fast.

With all that extra fuel, the jet can fly to the end of the earth. There, you lay down some mats (まつ) to enjoy the views.

Beware: these are different from 夫. The radical for 夫 is “husband.” Remember, jets have their tails at the bottom, and your husband doesn’t (hopefully).

[Mnemonics from WaniKani]

Tree Mnemonic

First, consider the tree 木 character. See its sturdy trunk and branches extending out of it?

本
Meaning: book, origin, main, present,

Let’s add a line towards the bottom. What are those extra things coming out from the bottom of the tree? It’s the roots! The main part of the tree that holds it in the ground, its origin.

未
Meaning: not yet

Now let’s add our line (our line is the long one, so it stands out more) in the middle of the tree. This tree has long branches at the bottom, but the branches at the stop are still short. It has not yet grown into a full-fledged adult tree.

末
Meaning: end

Now our line (remember, it’s the long one that stands out so it’s easier for us to see) is at the top. The branches of this tree are long and full all the way to the top. It has reached the end of its growth and all the branches are the top are nice and long.

Use of Mnemonics

Mnemonics are a great way to help memorize kanji characters. Above we covered two different ways to remember the difference between 未 and 末. Though the jet mnemonic also includes ways to remember the onyomi readings, the tree mnemonic is a great way to help remember more kanji as a progression or sequence.

As you study these kanji, try to come up with your own mnemonics! It’ll stick better if you create a mnemonic that works for you.