〜まで — Until; As Far As

japanesegrammarn5particles

Properties

Property Value
Type Particle
Level JLPT N5

Meaning

まで (made) marks the end point of a range. It has two primary uses:

  1. End point in time — indicates the time at which something stops or the period up to which something continues (until, through)

    • 5時まで勉強します。— I study until 5 o'clock.

  2. End point in space — indicates the furthest point reached by movement or a physical extent (to, as far as)

    • 駅まで歩く。— Walk to (as far as) the station.

Structure

1. Time end point

[Time noun] + まで + [verb / state]

Used to express that an action or state continues up to a specific moment in time.

2. Spatial end point

[Place noun] + まで + [verb of motion / direction]

Used to express movement or extent up to a physical destination.

Examples

1. Time end point — studying

図書館は9時まで開いています。 Toshokan wa ku-ji made aite imasu. The library is open until 9 o'clock.

2. Time end point — waiting

彼女が来るまで待ちます。 Kanojo ga kuru made machimasu. I will wait until she comes.

3. Spatial end point — walking

バス停まで歩きました。 Basutei made arukimashita. I walked as far as the bus stop.

4. Spatial end point — distance

ここから東京まで何キロですか。 Koko kara Toukyou made nan-kiro desu ka. How many kilometers is it from here to Tokyo?

5. Figurative extent

そんなことまで知っているんですか。 Sonna koto made shitte iru n desu ka. Do you know even something like that?

から〜まで Pattern

から (kara, from / since) and まで pair naturally to express a full range — either in time or space.

[Start] + から + [End] + まで
Example Reading Meaning
月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。 Getsuyoubi kara kin'youbi made hatarakimasu. I work from Monday to Friday.
9時から5時まで授業があります。 Ku-ji kara go-ji made jugyou ga arimasu. There are classes from 9 to 5.
大阪から京都まで電車で行きます。 Oosaka kara Kyouto made densha de ikimasu. I go from Osaka to Kyoto by train.

までに vs. まで

These two forms are frequently confused. The key distinction is deadline vs. continuous duration.

Form Meaning Usage
まで until / up to (continuous) The action or state continues throughout the period
までに by (deadline) The action must be completed at some point before the limit

まで — continuous

6時まで働きます。 Roku-ji made hatarakimasu. I work until 6 o'clock. (I am working continuously through that time.)

までに — by a deadline

6時までに宿題を出してください。 Roku-ji made ni shukudai wo dashite kudasai. Please hand in your homework by 6 o'clock. (It just needs to be done before 6.)

A simple test: if the action has duration and continues right up to the time, use まで. If the action just needs to be completed before the time, use までに.

Common Mistakes

  1. Confusing まで and までに — Use まで for actions that last up to a point; use までに for one-time actions with a deadline.

    • Incorrect (deadline context): 月曜日まで宿題を提出します。
    • Correct: 月曜日までに宿題を提出します。

  2. Omitting から when expressing a range — While まで can stand alone, pairing it with から makes the range explicit and avoids ambiguity.

    • Ambiguous: 5時まで会議があります。(implies it ends at 5, but start is unclear)
    • Clear: 2時から5時まで会議があります。

  3. Using まで with a destination verb when に is meant — まで emphasizes extent or distance; に simply marks the destination. Both can follow a place noun with 行く, but they carry slightly different nuances.

    • 駅まで行く — go all the way to the station (emphasizes the distance covered)
    • 駅に行く — go to the station (neutral destination)