GrammarJLPT N5
→ until
Until / To / As far as
JLPT N5ParticleNeutral
The particle まで marks an endpoint — whether in time, space, or degree. When used with time expressions, it means "until" or "till," indicating the point at which an action or state continues up to and then stops (e.g., "I will wait until 5 o'clock"). When used with places, it means "to" or "as far as," marking the destination or spatial limit of movement (e.g., "from the station to my house"). It can also express an extreme extent, translating as "even" or "to the point of," emphasizing that something has reached a surprising or noteworthy degree. Unlike までに, which means "by (a deadline)" and focuses on completing something before a point in time, まで emphasizes continuation up to that point. Similarly, while に and へ mark a destination, まで emphasizes the full extent of the journey or range. The particle is commonly paired with から (from) to create a "from … to …" construction for both time and place.
Functions
#1 Indicating a time endpoint (until / till)
Structure
Time expression + まで
五時まで勉強します。
Here まで follows the time expression 五時 (5 o'clock) to indicate the point in time at which the action of studying continues up to and then stops. The emphasis is on the ongoing nature of the action right up to that endpoint. This is one of the most fundamental and common uses of まで.I will study until 5 o'clock.
Structures
- Time noun
- Time expression + まで
- Place noun
- Place noun + まで
- Verb (plain form)
- Verb (dictionary form) + まで
- Extent / "even"
- Noun + まで
Common mistakes
A very common mistake is confusing まで with までに. While まで means "until" and implies an action continues up to a point (五時まで働く means "I work until 5"), までに means "by" a deadline and implies completion before that point (五時までに終わる means "I will finish by 5"). Another frequent error is using まで where に or へ would be more natural for simple destination marking; まで emphasizes the distance or extent, so 学校まで行く highlights how far you went, whereas 学校に行く simply states where you went. Learners also sometimes forget to use the plain (dictionary) form of the verb before まで, incorrectly saying ＊来ますまで instead of the correct 来るまで.
Related
までにからから〜までにへも