1.
terminal station — the final station on a train or bus line; also used figuratively for a final destination or end point
The last stop on a rail or bus line, where the service ends and passengers must disembark. Also used figuratively in song lyrics and prose to evoke the end of a journey, a relationship, or a stage of life.
この電車の終着駅は東京です。
The terminal station of this train is Tokyo.
終着駅まで乗ってください。
Please ride all the way to the last stop.
深夜の終着駅は人がほとんどいなかった。
There was almost no one at the terminal station late at night.
長い旅もついに終着駅にたどり着いた。
After a long journey, we finally reached the last stop.
Compound of 終着 ('arrival at the end point') and 駅 ('station').
USAGE:
- Refers literally to the last station on a line — where a train or bus ends its run and cannot go further.
- Frequently used figuratively in songs, novels, and essays to suggest an ending or final destination, often with a melancholy or nostalgic tone.
- On station announcements, the related verb 終着 appears in phrases like '当駅が終着です' ('this is the last stop').
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 終着駅に着く: to arrive at the terminal station
- 終着駅まで乗る: to ride all the way to the last stop
- 人生の終着駅: the final destination of one's life
- 夜の終着駅: the terminal station at night
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 始発駅: starting station — the direct antonym, the first station on a line.
- 終点: terminus, end point — a broader term applicable to any route (bus, train, road), or used figuratively.
- 終着: (final) arrival — the noun component, used attributively as in 終着列車 ('the last train').