終活
しゅうかつ
noun, suru verb
end-of-life preparations; activities to prepare for one's own death
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 終活する | 終活しない |
| Present polite | 終活します | 終活しません |
| Past | 終活した | 終活しなかった |
| Past polite | 終活しました | 終活しませんでした |
| て form | 終活して | 終活しなくて |
| ている present | 終活している | 終活していない |
| ている polite | 終活しています | 終活していません |
| ている past | 終活していた | 終活していなかった |
| ている past polite | 終活していました | 終活していませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 終活すれば | 終活しなければ |
| Conditional たら | 終活したら | 終活しなかったら |
| Volitional | 終活しよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 終活しましょう | — |
| Potential | 終活できる | 終活できない |
| Passive | 終活される | 終活されない |
| Causative | 終活させる | 終活させない |
| Imperative | 終活しろ | 終活するな |
1.
end-of-life preparations; preparing for one's own death
The deliberate practical, emotional, and legal preparations a person makes for their own death. Typical 終活 activities include writing a will, drafting an エンディングノート ("ending note"), pre-planning one's funeral and grave, decluttering possessions, organizing finances, and discussing wishes with family. The word emerged in Japan in the late 2000s and is now firmly established in everyday use. Often used with する as a verb (= to do end-of-life preparations).
Sorting out one's belongings is also an important part of end-of-life preparations.
終活 is a relatively new word — it gained currency in Japanese media around 2009-2012 and has since become standard. It was modeled phonologically on 就活 ("job-hunting activities") and shares the 〜活 pattern of compound words for organized personal-life activities.
Forms
- 終 ("end") + 活 (from 活動 "activities") → 終活
WHAT 終活 TYPICALLY INVOLVES:
- Writing an エンディングノート ("ending note" — a non-legal document recording wishes, contacts, and information for surviving family)
- 遺言書 (will) preparation
- Pre-planning one's 葬儀 (funeral) and お墓 (grave)
- 生前整理 (decluttering one's possessions while still alive)
- Organizing finances, insurance, and digital accounts
- Discussing medical and end-of-life wishes with family
Common collocations
- 終活を始める: to begin end-of-life preparations
- 終活セミナー / 終活講座: end-of-life-planning seminar
- 終活ノート: end-of-life-planning notebook (often a published guidebook with fill-in pages)
- 終活相談: end-of-life-planning consultation
- 終活産業: the "end-of-life-preparation industry"
Similar / related terms
- 就活: job-hunting (the model word). Identical pronunciation but written with the kanji 就 ("to take up"). Context normally disambiguates.
- 婚活: marriage-hunting (looking for a spouse) — another 〜活 word built on the same pattern
- エンディングノート: "ending note" — a notebook/journal recording one's wishes, contacts, account information, and final messages, central to many people's 終活
- 遺言書: will (the legal document)
- 生前整理: decluttering before death — a major component of 終活
Cultural note
- 終活 reflects Japan's aging demographics and a cultural shift toward openly preparing for and discussing one's own death, which was previously a taboo topic. Bookstores have whole sections on 終活, and local governments and funeral companies regularly hold seminars.