顛末(てんまつ)

てんまつ
noun
full account; whole story; details from beginning to end
1. full account; whole story; circumstances from beginning to end
The complete sequence of events or details of an incident, especially one involving a problem, accident, or noteworthy occurrence.
事件(じけん)の顛末(てんまつ)を聞(き)く。
To hear the full account of the incident.
事故(じこ)の顛末(てんまつ)を報告書(ほうこくしょ)にまとめた。
I compiled the full details of the accident into a report.
彼(かれ)はその騒動(そうどう)の顛末(てんまつ)を最初(さいしょ)から最後(さいご)まで詳(くわ)しく語(かた)ってくれた。
He told me in detail the whole story of the incident from beginning to end.

Composed of 顛(てん) (top, beginning) + 末(まつ) (end). Literally 'from top to end,' meaning the complete course of events. Often used when recounting problems, incidents, or noteworthy sequences of events.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 事件(じけん)の顛末(てんまつ): the full account of an incident
  • 顛末(てんまつ)を報告(ほうこく)する: to report the full details
  • 顛末(てんまつ)を語(かた)る: to tell the whole story
  • 顛末書(てんまつしょ): an incident report (formal document)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 経緯(けいい): circumstances, background — focuses on the process and reasons; 顛末(てんまつ) focuses on the complete story including the outcome
  • いきさつ: circumstances, sequence of events — more conversational; 顛末(てんまつ) is more formal
  • 始末(しまつ): handling/aftermath — focuses on dealing with consequences; 顛末(てんまつ) focuses on narrating what happened

REGISTER:
Formal. Common in business reports, news, and official accounts of incidents.

general
Added 2026.4.5 3:24
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