最后 zuì hòu
“final; last; finally”
locality wordHSK 4 · 2021 list level 1Traditional 最後
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
最后 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 997: 最后 zuìhòu — Level 3; official annotation 3 (名). PDF page 104
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 最后
最后 means "last" or "in the end/finally." It is used for the final item in a sequence or the final result after a series of events. Common patterns are 最后 + verb/clause and 最后 + 的 + noun or 最后 + 一/这/那 + measure word + noun (e.g. 最后一天, 最后一次, 最后那次).
例句Example sentences
- 我们等了一个小时，最后他还是没来。wǒ men děng le yí gè xiǎo shí, zuì hòu tā hái shì méi lái.We waited for an hour; in the end he still didn't come.
- 这是今天最后一班公交车。zhè shì jīn tiān zuì hòu yì bān gōng jiāo chē.This is the last bus today.
- 他先去了北京，然后去了上海，最后去了广州。tā xiān qù le běi jīng, rán hòu qù le shàng hǎi, zuì hòu qù le guǎng zhōu.He first went to Beijing, then Shanghai, and finally Guangzhou.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗这是我最后次来这家店。
✓这是我最后一次来这家店。
最后 cannot directly precede a measure word like 次; add 一 or a demonstrative such as 这/那: 最后一次.
易混词Easily confused
最后vs终于
Both can be translated as "finally," but 最后 marks the last step or result in a sequence; 终于 stresses that something happens after a long wait or effort.