In English you say "from Monday to Friday." In Japanese, that's 月曜日から金曜日まで. から marks the starting point, まで marks the endpoint — together, they're the core tools for expressing ranges in Japanese.
から: From ~
から attaches to the end of a noun to mark a starting point — either in time or space.
Noun + から → from ~
Starting point in time:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 九時から | From 9 o'clock |
| 月曜日から | From Monday |
| 明日から | From tomorrow |
Starting point in space:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 東京から | From Tokyo |
| 駅から | From the station |
| 家から | From home |
まで: To / Until ~
まで also attaches to the end of a noun, marking the endpoint.
Noun + まで → to / until ~
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 五時まで | Until 5 o'clock |
| 金曜日まで | Until Friday |
| 大阪まで | To Osaka |
から〜まで: From ~ to ~
Use them together for a full range:
A から B まで → from A to B
Time ranges
私は火曜日から土曜日まで働きます。 → I work from Tuesday to Saturday.
Breakdown:
- 私は = I (topic)
- 火曜日から = from Tuesday
- 土曜日まで = to Saturday
- 働きます = work
午前八時から午後四時まで勉強します。 → I study from 8 AM to 4 PM.
兄は十時まで働きます。 → My older brother works until 10.
Note the last sentence uses only まで without から — they don't always appear as a pair. You can use either one alone.
Location ranges
東京から大阪まで三時間です。 → It's three hours from Tokyo to Osaka.
家から学校まで十分です。 → It's ten minutes from home to school.
Using Them Alone
から on its own means "from ~." It also has another common meaning — "because" — but that's a separate usage. At the N5 level, just remember "from ~."
まで on its own emphasizes "up to that point":
五時まで待ってください。 → Please wait until 5 o'clock.
に vs. から: What's the Difference?
に marks a specific point in time ("at"), while から marks a starting point ("from"). They often appear in the same sentence:
| Particle | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| に | At (time point) | 六時に起きます → I wake up at 6 |
| から | From (starting point) | 六時から勉強します → I study from 6 |
Both in one sentence:
私は毎日六時に起きます。八時から働きます。 → I wake up at 6 every day. I start working from 8.
Common Patterns
| Pattern | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| From ... to ... do ~ | 九時から五時まで働きます | |
| ~から来ました | Came from ~ | 台湾から来ました |
| It's ~ minutes to ~ | 駅まで十分です |
Summary
- から after a noun = from ~ (starting point in time/space)
- まで after a noun = to/until ~ (endpoint in time/space)
- Can be used as a pair (から~まで) or individually
- に marks a point in time; から marks a starting point — don't mix them up
Practice Questions
Q1. Say "I work from Monday to Friday" in Japanese.
Show answer
私は月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。
私は + 月曜日から (from Monday) + 金曜日まで (to Friday) + 働きます (work).
Q2. What does 「家から学校まで二十分です。」 mean?
Show answer
It's twenty minutes from home to school.
家から (from home) + 学校まで (to school) + 二十分 (20 minutes) + です.
Q3. Fill in the blanks: 「午前九時＿＿午後六時＿＿働きます。」 (I work from 9 AM to 6 PM.)
Show answer
午前九時から午後六時まで働きます。
First blank: から (from), second blank: まで (to).