語尾

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 語尾 is a noun read ごび, referring to the ending of a word or the ending of an utterance.
• Basic usage: Use 時制によって語尾が変わる for an ending changing with tense and 語尾を濁す for trailing off or making one's ending unclear.
  • この動詞は時制によって語尾が変わります。 says that this verb's ending changes depending on tense; 彼は語尾を濁して、はっきり答えませんでした。 describes him trailing off instead of answering clearly.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 語尾が変わる
  • が marks the ending whose form changes with tense.
• 語尾を濁す
  • This idiom means making the end of an utterance unclear and thereby avoiding a definite answer.
• Word ending and utterance ending
  • The first example concerns verb form, while the second concerns how spoken words are finished.