Marking a Range
から marks where something starts; まで marks where it ends. They work for both time and place, and either can appear alone.
- 九時から五時まで働きます。(I work from nine to five.)
- 東京から大阪まで新幹線で行きます。(I'll go from Tokyo to Osaka by shinkansen.)
Each Works Alone
- 三時から会議です。(The meeting is from three.)
- 駅まで歩きます。(I'll walk as far as the station.)
まで vs までに — The Important One
These look alike and mean different things:
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| まで | continuously until | 五時まで待ちます — I'll wait until five |
| までに | by a deadline | 五時までに来てください — please come by five |
まで covers the whole span; までに is a single point you must not pass. Use までに with one-off actions — 出す, 来る, 終わる.
Don't Confuse This から with "Because"
Same particle, different job:
- 九時から — from nine (this page)
- 高いから — because it's expensive (see から)
A time or place before から means "from"; a full clause means "because".