幕(まく)

まく
noun
curtain; act (of a play)
1. curtain, screen, hanging cloth
A large piece of cloth hung as a screen or divider, including stage curtains in theaters and decorative curtains used at events and ceremonies.
幕(まく)が上(あ)がった。
The curtain went up.
舞台(ぶたい)の幕(まく)がゆっくりと下(お)りた。
The stage curtain slowly came down.
お祝(いわ)いの席(せき)に紅白(こうはく)の幕(まく)が張(は)られていた。
Red and white curtains were hung at the celebration.
2. act (of a play or drama), scene
A division of a theatrical performance. Also used figuratively to describe a phase or chapter of events.
第(だい)二(に)幕(まく)が始(はじ)まった。
The second act began.
長(なが)い戦争(せんそう)にようやく幕(まく)が下(お)りた。
The long war finally came to an end.
新(あたら)しい時代(じだい)の幕開(まくあ)けを感(かん)じる。
I feel the dawn of a new era.

USAGE:
Appears in many set expressions related to beginnings and endings. In kabuki and traditional theater, 幕(まく) is a fundamental structural unit. Also an important element in compounds related to the Edo period (幕府(ばくふ) = shogunate, 幕末(ばくまつ) = end of Edo period).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 幕(まく)が上(あ)がる: the curtain rises (something begins)
  • 幕(まく)が下(お)りる: the curtain falls (something ends)
  • 幕(まく)を開(あ)ける: to open the curtain (to start)
  • 幕開(まくあ)け: opening, beginning
  • 幕(まく)引(び)き: closing, wrapping up

RELATED COMPOUNDS:

  • 幕府(ばくふ): shogunate
  • 幕末(ばくまつ): end of the Edo period
  • 幕内(まくうち): top division (sumo); bento box
general
Added 2026.2.21 20:12
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