終着駅(しゅうちゃくえき)

Compound of 終着(しゅうちゃく) ('arrival at the end point') and 駅(えき) ('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(しゅうちゃく) appears in phrases like '当(とう)駅(えき)が終着(しゅうちゃく)です' ('this is the last stop').

Common collocations

• 終着駅(しゅうちゃくえき)に着(つ)く: to arrive at the terminal station
• 終着駅(しゅうちゃくえき)まで乗(の)る: to ride all the way to the last stop
• 人生(じんせい)の終着駅(しゅうちゃくえき): the final destination of one's life
• 夜(よる)の終着駅(しゅうちゃくえき): the terminal station at night

Similar words

• 始発駅(しはつえき): starting station — the direct antonym, the first station on a line.
• 終点(しゅうてん): terminus, end point — a broader term applicable to any route (bus, train, road), or used figuratively.
• 終着(しゅうちゃく): (final) arrival — the noun component, used attributively as in 終着(しゅうちゃく)列車(れっしゃ) ('the last train').