Japanese word

てっぺん

Pronunciation

Romajiteppen

Meaning

  • nountop

Example

山のてっぺんから町が見えます。yama no te ppe n ka ra machi ga mi e ma su

You can see the town from the top of the mountain.

Illustration for てっぺん (top)

More examples

帽子のてっぺんに赤い羽根が付いています。bō shi no te ppe n ni aka i ha ne ga tsu i te i ma su

A red feather is attached to the top of the hat.

Core concept

Presents a point as being at the very top, above all other points in the same space or hierarchy.

Common phrases

  • 頭のてっぺんatama no te ppe n

    top of the head

  • てっぺんに立つte ppe n ni ta tsu

    stand at the top

  • てっぺんまで登るte ppe n ma de nobo ru

    climb all the way to the top

Similar words

頂上chōjō: The highest physical point of a mountain, building, or similar structure.
頂点chōten: The point that is physically highest within an object or place.

Definition in Japanese

山などの、周囲より最も高い部分。yama na do no shū i yo ri motto mo taka i bu bun

Word origin

The noun てっぺん (teppen, "top") is the informal sound form of 天辺 (tenpen, "topmost part"), with tenpen changing to teppen in speech.

Usage tips

  • Although top often covers both physical height and rank in English, てっぺん (teppen) most directly describes the highest physical part and is especially natural in casual speech.

Other meanings

  • peaknoun
  • summitnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word