までmade“until or as far as”

まで marks an endpoint: the time something continues until, the place you travel as far as, or the point where a range stops. 五時まで means “until five,” 駅まで means “as far as the station,” and ここまで means “up to here.” It is a JLPT N5 particle, and it usually works together with から (from) to mark both ends of a span.

から opens the span and まで closes it. Whatever you describe with まで continues all the way to that point.

What does まで mean?

まで means the action or state keeps going right up to the point you name. Depending on what comes before it, English uses different words:

• until / till (time) — 五時まで働きます (I work until five)
• to / as far as (place) — 駅まで歩きます (I walk to the station)
• up to / through (range) — 三ページまで (up to page 3), 月曜日から金曜日まで (Monday through Friday)
• even (an extreme example) — 子どもまで知っています (even children know it)

The first three are the everyday uses. The fourth, “even,” is less common at N5, but you should recognize it, because it appears in reading passages and changes the meaning of the sentence completely.

How to form まで

• After nouns: times (三時まで, 明日まで), places (駅まで, 東京まで), and points in a range (ここまで, 十ページまで).
• After verbs: use the plain dictionary form, never the ます-form. 先生が来るまで待ちましょう means “Let’s wait until the teacher comes.” The verb before まで names the event that ends the waiting.
• Pairing with から: AからBまで marks both ends: 九時から五時まで (from nine to five), 家から駅まで (from home to the station).
• Adding は, も, or の: 駅までは遠いです (It’s far to the station), 夜までの仕事 (work that lasts until night).
• As a question: 何時までですか (Until what time?), どこまで行きますか (How far are you going?).

A sentence can also end in まで + です: 図書館は八時までです means “The library is open until eight.” That is how opening hours and deadlines are usually stated on signs and in announcements.

When is まで used?

• Schedules and opening hours: 店は十時までです, 授業は三時までです
• Travel and directions: 駅まで送ります (I’ll take you to the station), タクシーで空港まで
• Classroom instructions: ここまで読んでください (Please read up to here), 二十ページまで
• Holidays and time off: 日曜日まで休みです (I’m off until Sunday)
• Waiting: 雨がやむまで待ちます (I’ll wait until the rain stops)

まで is neutral and appears everywhere, from casual chat to railway announcements. One set phrase to know: 駅までお願いします is what you tell a taxi driver when you want to go to the station.

まで example sentences

In every example except the last, the verb describes something that lasts until the endpoint: working, walking, reading, staying up, waiting. That is the key to using まで correctly, and the next section explains why.

Nuance of まで

まで describes a continuous stretch. The action fills the whole span up to the endpoint. That is why it pairs naturally with verbs like 働く, 待つ, 寝る, 勉強する, and いる, and with states like 休み or 起きている.

With a one-time action, such as handing in homework, arriving home, or paying, まで sounds strange in a time sentence, because you don’t hand in homework continuously until Friday. For a one-time action with a deadline, Japanese adds に: までに means “by (a deadline).” This distinction is small in form but big in meaning, and it is the most common まで error.

In the “even” meaning, まで says the example is surprising or extreme: 子どもまで知っている suggests that everyone knows it, down to children. It is close to も, but stronger.

まで vs までに

Both mark a time limit, but they say different things about the action.

The first sentence has you in the library for the whole afternoon. The second has you arriving home once, at any point before five. までに is formally N4 grammar, but N5 learners run into it right away, so it helps to learn the two together. See the full までに guide.

Common mistakes with まで

Is まで on the JLPT?

In schedule-based listening questions, write the から and まで times as two numbers. The question often asks about only one of them.

Practice questions for まで

Learning path for まで

Related grammar to review next

• から — the starting point that まで usually closes: 九時から五時まで.
• までに — “by a deadline,” for one-time actions. It is the pattern most often confused with まで.
• 前に — “before,” which only locates an action in time. まで says the action continues up to the point.
• まだ — “still.” 五時まで and まだ often appear together when describing an ongoing state.
• 間 — the N4 way to describe something that fills a whole period.

Learn まで with Hane

Hane quizzes you on まで, までに, and から with schedule-style sentences, so you get used to spotting whether an action lasts or happens once. Practice with Hane.