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Grammar detail: まで

まで  the various uses of まで
336 words
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The particle まで is extremely common in Japanese, and it has several slightly different usages.

まで until, up to

Most commonly, まで is used to indicate a time period or a destination, often in conjunction with から.
noun
or
verb plain form
+
まで
means
until (a certain time, something happens), up to (a certain place) etc.
こんげつ
今月
わり
まで
って
ください
Please wait until the end of this month.
えき
まで
いちじかん
1時間
かかります
It will take an hour to the station.
びょういん
病院
まで
じゅう
10
マイルある
It is no less than ten miles to the hospital.
When used with a destination, まで can usually be translated with 'to', and often is interchangeable with the particles に or へ. However, it can also convey the suggestion of 'as far as' or 'up to'. In the following example, に would mean 'I went to Kyoto', whereas by using まで, the speaker conveys the idea that Kyoto is a long way, or that it was a bigger expedition to go that far etc.
れっしゃ
列車
きょうと
京都
まで
った

I went as far as Kyoto by train.

までに by, before

Adding に to まで changes the meaning to 'by' or 'before' the time or destination described. When までに is used, the second part of the sentence is completed before the situation described in the first part of the sentence.
やくそく
約束
じかん
時間
まで
かなら
きてください
Always come by the time promised.
In the above example, 必ずきてください (you must please come) is to be completed before 約束の時間 (promised time). If まで were used instead of までに, the action verb 'please come' would not make sense, but a verb describing a continuous state would work, such as:
やくそく
約束
じかん
時間
まで
かなら
って
ください
You must please wait until the time you promised.
Here, the まで tells us that until the second part of the sentence '待ってください' (please wait) continues (at least) until the situation in the first part of the sentence.

までもない goes without saying

One common set expression is までもない, usually as part of いうまでもない, which means 'it goes without saying':
かね
すべてない
うまでもない

It goes without saying that money is not everything.

までだ just, only

A final use of まで is immediately followed by some form of です, in which case it means 'just' or 'only'.
わたし
ただ
いんしゅう
因習
したが
った
まで
I just followed convention.
In this usage, it could usually be replaced directly with だけ.

まで can be written with the kanji 迄, but this is very uncommon in modern Japanese.
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Kanji used in this grammar

ヒツ   かなら certainly, invariably   
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ヤク    promise; approximate   
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ソク   たば bundle   たばねる to tie in a bundle   
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ジ   とき time, occasion   
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カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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タイ   ま to wait   
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まで until   
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コン   キン   いま now   
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ガツ   ゲツ   つき month; moon   
シュウ   end   おわる to come to an end   おえる to bring to an end   
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エキ    station   
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ヘイ   ビョウ   やまい illness   や to fall ill   
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イン    institution   
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レツ    row   
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シャ   くるま car   
キョウ   ケイ    capital   
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ト   ツ   みやこ capital city, metropolis   
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コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
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キン   コン   かね gold; money   
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ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   い to say   
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シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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イン   cause   よ to depend on   
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シュウ   なら to learn   
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ジュウ   ショウ   ジュ   したが to obey   したがえる to be accompanied by   
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