まで vs までに: “Until” vs “By” in Japanese

TLDR

Both まで and までに point to an endpoint, but they do different jobs.

The easiest way to remember the difference is:

まで = until
Something continues up to the endpoint.

までに = by
Something must happen or be completed no later than the endpoint.

For example:

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

The working continues:

now ─────────→ 5:00

Compare:

5時までに仕事を終わらせます。
I’ll finish the work by 5.

The finishing happens once before or at the deadline:

now ── ● ───── | 5:00 deadline

A simple test is:

Does it continue? → まで

Does it need to happen or be completed? → までに

Quick Answer

まで means “until” and marks the endpoint of an action or state that continues up to that point. までに means “by” and marks a deadline by which an action must happen or be completed.

Compare:

3時まで待ちます。
I’ll wait until 3.

3時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 3.

The key distinction is:

まで = duration → endpoint

までに = completion → deadline

まで vs までに at a Glance

For example:

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

5時に帰ります。
I’ll return at 5.

These sentences all use the same time.

But the relationship to that time is completely different.

The Simplest Difference: Duration vs Deadline

The best way to understand まで vs までに is to stop memorising them as two similar phrases.

Instead, picture two different timelines.

まで = Something Continues

now ─────────────→ END

For example:

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

You are working over a period of time.

The action continues up to 5.

までに = Something Must Happen

now ─── ● ────── | DEADLINE

For example:

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

You are not “returning” continuously until 5.

Returning happens at one point.

5 is the deadline.

That gives us the core question:

Does the action continue until the endpoint?

Use:

まで

Or:

Does the action need to happen or be completed by the endpoint?

Use:

までに

How to Use まで: “Until”

まで marks an endpoint or limit.

With time expressions, it often means:

until

For example:

3時まで待ちます。
I’ll wait until 3.

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

夜まで勉強します。
I’ll study until night.

金曜日まで休みです。
I’m off until Friday.

The action or state continues across a span of time.

Think:

start ─────────→ まで

Common Verbs with まで

まで often appears naturally with actions or states that can continue.

For example:

待つ
to wait

働く
to work

いる
to stay / be

休む
to rest / be off

勉強する
to study

続ける
to continue

Examples:

ここで10時まで待ちます。
I’ll wait here until 10.

会社に6時までいます。
I’ll be at the office until 6.

試験まで勉強を続けます。
I’ll continue studying until the exam.

The shared idea is:

continuation up to an endpoint

まで Can Also Mean “As Far As”

まで is not limited to time.

Its broader meaning is:

endpoint / limit

That endpoint can also be a place.

For example:

駅まで歩きます。
I’ll walk to the station.

学校までバスで行きます。
I’ll go as far as the school by bus.

東京から大阪まで行きます。
I’ll go from Tokyo to Osaka.

In these sentences, まで marks the end of a physical range.

So the broader mental model is:

まで = up to this point

With time:

until this time

With space:

as far as this place

How to Use までに: “By”

までに turns the endpoint into a deadline.

The pattern is:

Deadline + までに + action

For example:

金曜日までにレポートを出してください。
Please submit the report by Friday.

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

明日までに決めます。
I’ll decide by tomorrow.

9時までに来てください。
Please come by 9.

The action does not continue all the way to the deadline.

It happens at some point before or at that limit.

Think:

something happens ● before | DEADLINE

までに Includes the Deadline

A useful beginner point:

までに usually means no later than that point.

So:

5時までに帰ります。

means:

I’ll return before 5 or at 5 at the latest.

It does not necessarily mean:

strictly before 5.

That is why “by” is usually the best English translation.

Common Verbs with までに

までに often appears with actions that happen or become completed at one point.

For example:

終わる
to finish

終える
to finish something

提出する
to submit

返す
to return something

帰る
to return home

着く
to arrive

決める
to decide

Examples:

宿題を8時までに終わらせます。
I’ll finish my homework by 8.

本を金曜日までに返してください。
Please return the book by Friday.

来月までに決めます。
I’ll decide by next month.

These verbs naturally fit the idea:

something happens / gets completed before a limit

The Verb Test: Does It Continue or Get Completed?

This is the most useful practical shortcut.

Ask:

Does this action continue until the endpoint?

If yes:

まで

Or ask:

Does this action happen or get completed by the endpoint?

If yes:

までに

Continue → まで

待つ
wait

働く
work

いる
stay

勉強する
study

Happen / Complete → までに

帰る
return

終わる
finish

提出する
submit

着く
arrive

決める
decide

This is not an absolute dictionary rule for every sentence.

What matters is the meaning you are creating.

But as a beginner test, it is extremely useful.

Same Time, Completely Different Meaning

Compare these pairs.

Example 1

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

The working continues.

5時までに仕事を終わらせます。
I’ll finish the work by 5.

The finishing has a deadline.

Example 2

10時まで待ってください。
Please wait until 10.

Waiting continues.

10時までに来てください。
Please come by 10.

Coming happens before or at 10.

Example 3

金曜日まで会社にいます。
I’ll be at the company until Friday.

The state continues.

金曜日までにレポートを出します。
I’ll submit the report by Friday.

The submission happens once.

The time expression is the same.

The grammar changes the timeline.

いつまで vs いつまでに

This is one of the most practical everyday differences.

いつまで？

Means:

Until when?

Use it when asking how long something continues.

For example:

いつまで日本にいますか。
Until when will you be in Japan?

いつまで働きますか。
Until when will you work?

The question is:

How long does this continue?

いつまでに？

Means:

By when?

Use it when asking about a deadline.

For example:

いつまでにレポートを出せばいいですか。
By when should I submit the report?

いつまでに決めますか。
By when will you decide?

The question is:

What is the latest acceptable time for this action?

So:

いつまで = until when?

いつまでに = by when?

まで and までに With Verb Clauses

You do not need a clock, date, or day of the week.

Both forms can follow an event.

Verb + まで

For example:

雨がやむまで待ちます。
I’ll wait until the rain stops.

映画が始まるまで勉強します。
I’ll study until the movie starts.

私が帰るまでここにいてください。
Please stay here until I return.

The main action continues until the event happens.

Think:

wait ───────→ rain stops

Verb + までに

Now compare:

授業が始まるまでに教室に入ってください。
Please enter the classroom by the time class starts.

映画が始まるまでに宿題を終わらせます。
I’ll finish my homework by the time the movie starts.

日本を出るまでに富士山を見たいです。
I want to see Mt. Fuji before I leave Japan.

The event creates a deadline.

The action must happen before or by that point.

Same Event, Different Timeline

Compare:

映画が始まるまで勉強します。
I’ll study until the movie starts.

Here:

studying continues → movie begins.

Now:

映画が始まるまでに宿題を終わらせます。
I’ll finish my homework by the time the movie starts.

Here:

homework completion ● → movie begins.

This is exactly the distinction between:

duration

and:

deadline

に vs まで vs までに

These three forms are easy to confuse.

Take:

5時

5時に

5時に帰ります。
I’ll return at 5.

Meaning:

AT 5

The action is tied to that time.

5時まで

5時までいます。
I’ll stay until 5.

Meaning:

UNTIL 5

The state continues to that time.

5時までに

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

Meaning:

BY 5

The return happens no later than that time.

So remember:

One extra に changes the timeline completely.

What About から〜まで?

まで often pairs with:

から — from

The pattern is:

A から B まで

meaning:

from A to B

For example:

9時から5時まで働きます。
I work from 9 to 5.

東京から大阪まで行きます。
I’ll go from Tokyo to Osaka.

から marks:

the starting point

and:

まで marks:

the endpoint.

This is different from までに, which turns the endpoint into a deadline.

We cover this pattern in more detail in our guide to から and まで: How to Say “From” and “Until” in Japanese.

Common Mistake 1: Using まで When You Mean “By”

Imagine you want to say:

I’ll return by 5.

Incorrect:

5時まで帰ります。 ❌

Better:

5時までに帰ります。 ✅

Why?

Returning happens once.

5 is the deadline.

Common Mistake 2: Using までに When You Mean “Until”

Imagine you mean:

I’ll wait until 5.

Incorrect:

5時までに待ちます。 ❌

Better:

5時まで待ちます。 ✅

Waiting continues over a period.

Common Mistake 3: Thinking に Is Optional

Compare:

5時まで帰ります。

and:

5時までに帰ります。

Adding に changes the grammar.

It is not simply a stylistic choice.

まで and までに create different relationships with the endpoint.

Common Mistake 4: Translating Both as “Before”

までに can sometimes be translated naturally using:

before

especially when the endpoint is an event.

For example:

映画が始まるまでに宿題を終わらせます。
I’ll finish my homework before the movie starts.

But the underlying concept is:

deadline

That is why “by” is often the safer mental model.

Common Mistake 5: Thinking まで Only Works With Time

まで can mark many kinds of endpoints.

Time:

5時まで
until 5

Place:

駅まで
to/as far as the station

Event:

雨がやむまで
until the rain stops

The broader meaning is:

up to this endpoint

Common Mistake 6: Confusing に, まで and までに

Remember the three timelines:

に = AT

まで = UNTIL

までに = BY

That distinction solves many beginner mistakes.

Mini Practice Quiz

Choose the best answer.

1. 5時＿働きます。

You mean:

I’ll work until 5.

A. に
B. まで
C. までに

Answer: B. まで

5時まで働きます。

The work continues until 5.

2. 5時＿帰ります。

You mean:

I’ll return by 5.

A. まで
B. までに
C. から

Answer: B. までに

5時までに帰ります。

5 is the deadline.

3. 3時＿待ってください。

You mean:

Please wait until 3.

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: A. まで

The waiting continues.

4. 金曜日＿レポートを出してください。

You mean:

Please submit the report by Friday.

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: B. までに

Submitting happens by a deadline.

5. いつ＿日本にいますか。

You mean:

Until when will you be in Japan?

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: A. まで

いつまで日本にいますか。

6. いつ＿宿題を出せばいいですか。

You mean:

By when should I submit the homework?

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: B. までに

いつまでに宿題を出せばいいですか。

7. 雨がやむ＿待ちます。

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: A. まで

雨がやむまで待ちます。
I’ll wait until the rain stops.

8. 授業が始まる＿教室に入ってください。

You mean:

Please enter the classroom by the time class starts.

A. まで
B. までに

Answer: B. までに

The class starting is the deadline.

9. Which means “at 5”?

A. 5時に
B. 5時まで
C. 5時までに

Answer: A. 5時に

10. Which mental model is correct?

A. まで = deadline / までに = duration
B. まで = duration / までに = deadline

Answer: B.

まで = duration → endpoint

までに = completion → deadline

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between まで and までに?

まで means “until” and marks the endpoint of an action or state that continues.

までに means “by” and marks a deadline by which something must happen or be completed.

For example:

5時まで働きます。
I’ll work until 5.

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

What does まで mean in Japanese?

まで marks an endpoint or limit.

With time, it often means:

until

For example:

3時まで待ちます。
I’ll wait until 3.

It can also mark a place:

駅まで歩きます。
I’ll walk to/as far as the station.

What does までに mean in Japanese?

までに marks a deadline.

For example:

金曜日までにレポートを出します。
I’ll submit the report by Friday.

The action can happen before the deadline or at the deadline at the latest.

What is the difference between いつまで and いつまでに?

いつまで means:

until when?

It asks how long an action or state continues.

いつまでに means:

by when?

It asks for the deadline by which something must happen.

What is the difference between に and までに?

に marks a specific time.

For example:

5時に帰ります。
I’ll return at 5.

までに marks a deadline.

5時までに帰ります。
I’ll return by 5.

With までに, returning can happen earlier.

Can まで be used with places?

Yes.

For example:

駅まで歩きます。
I’ll walk to the station.

Here, まで marks the endpoint of the movement.

Can まで follow a verb?

Yes.

For example:

雨がやむまで待ちます。
I’ll wait until the rain stops.

The event before まで becomes the endpoint.

Can までに follow a verb?

Yes.

For example:

授業が始まるまでに教室に入ってください。
Please enter the classroom by the time class starts.

The event creates the deadline.

What Should You Learn Next?

Once まで vs までに feels clear, continue with these related guides.

What Does に Mean in Japanese?

Learn why に can mark exact times, destinations, targets, recipients, and more.

Japanese Particles Explained

Use this as your overview of the most important Japanese particles.

に vs へ: What’s the Difference?

Learn how two particles can both mark destinations while emphasizing different things.

What Does へ Mean in Japanese?

Learn why へ is best remembered as an arrow pointing toward a destination.

から and まで: How to Say “From” and “Until” in Japanese

Learn how Japanese marks the beginning and end of a range.

Continue Your Japanese Journey

At first, まで and までに can look almost identical.

There is only one extra particle:

に

But that tiny difference changes the timeline.

Compare:

5時まで働きます。

and:

5時までに帰ります。

The first asks:

How long does it continue?

The second asks:

When must it be done?

That gives you the simplest rule:

まで = duration → endpoint

までに = completion → deadline

Or even shorter:

まで = UNTIL

までに = BY

Do not just memorise the English translation.

Picture the timeline.

If something stretches all the way to the endpoint:

use まで.

If something needs to happen somewhere before or at the deadline:

use までに.

Once you see that difference, the extra に stops feeling random.

It changes the role of the endpoint.

Japanese Journey is built around the same approach: understand the pattern behind the grammar, practise it in context, and connect each new idea to Japanese you already know.