末
すえ · sue · JLPT N3 · noun
the end of
🌳 末 = tree 木 with a long stroke marking its very top: the tip, the end
末 is 木 (tree) plus a long line across the top, pointing at the outermost tip, hence the end of something. Sound hook: sue sounds like sew, and you sew up the end of a seam. The powder sense comes from the fine tips, the smallest bits.
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).
まつ · matsu · JLPT N3 · noun
the end of
🌳 木 tree + a long stroke across the very top = the tip, the end
Compare 本 (origin, root): its extra stroke sits low on the trunk. 末 puts the extra stroke at the top, at the tips of the branches, the far end. It appears in 週末 (weekend) and 月末 (end of the month).
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).