Meaning
Target, objective. Also used as a grammatical suffix meaning "-like", "-al", or "-ic"
- 目的 — purpose, goal
- 的 — -like, -al (grammatical suffix)
- 的確 — precise, accurate
- 文化的 — cultural
- 歴史的 — historical
- 美的 — aesthetic
Originally used to represent a target or bullseye. Over time, 的 also became a suffix in Chinese and Japanese for forming adjectives or abstract concepts (e.g., 科学的 = scientific). It is highly frequent in written Japanese due to this grammatical role.
彼の 考えは 論理的です。
His thinking is logical.
的に 当たった!
It hit the target!
テキ is extremely common as a suffix, often transforming nouns into adjectives (e.g., 芸術 → 芸術的). The kun-yomi まと is used when referring to a literal target in archery, sports, or metaphorical use.