先端

• Reading: せんたん
• Romaji: sentan
• Kanji breakdown: 先 (sen) — tip, ahead; 端 (tan) — edge, end
• Pronunciation: /seɴ.taɴ/

Meaning

Tip; pointed end; cutting edge; forefront.

A noun with both physical and figurative meanings. Physically, it refers to the pointed tip or end of an object. Figuratively, it means the forefront or cutting edge of technology, research, or fashion. The compound 最先端 (saisentan, state-of-the-art) is extremely common in technology and science discussions.

Examples

1. 鉛筆の先端が折れてしまった。 The tip of my pencil broke off.
2. 最先端の技術を使った製品が次々と発売されている。 Products using cutting-edge technology are being released one after another.
3. 医療の先端を行く研究が注目されている。 Research at the forefront of medicine is attracting attention.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, science, physical description

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 先端. 先 (sen) means tip or ahead, and 端 (tan) means edge or end. Together they describe the very tip or leading edge of something.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal