末
mò · HSK 4
end
🌳 木 (tree) with a long top stroke marking the tip of the branches
末 is 木 (tree) with an extended horizontal stroke at the top, pointing to where the branch tips end. Contrast with 本 (root), which puts the mark at the bottom of the tree.
末 — tree 木 with extended top stroke marking the tip
末 is an indicative character: it shows the tree 木 with an emphasized horizontal line near the top to point at the treetop, the 'tip' or 'end' of the branches. From this concrete sense it extended to mean 'end,' 'final,' or 'minor/trivial' (as opposed to the root 本).