What is the difference between まで (made) and までに (made-ni) in Japanese?

まで (made) vs までに (made-ni)

What's the Difference?

Use まで for 'until' and までに for 'by' a certain time or deadline. This distinction is crucial for clear communication.

Aspect	まで (made)	までに (made-ni)
JLPT	N4	N4
Formality	neutral	neutral
Time indication	Indicates the end point of a period	Indicates a deadline or a point by which something must be done
Contextual usage	Often used in phrases like 'from...until'	Often used in phrases like 'by the time' or 'before'
Sentence structure	Typically used at the end of a clause	Used to indicate a deadline in a sentence

JLPT: N4 | Formality: neutral

JLPT: N4 | Formality: neutral

Time indication: Indicates a deadline or a point by which something must be done
Contextual usage: Often used in phrases like 'by the time' or 'before'
Sentence structure: Used to indicate a deadline in a sentence

私は８時まで勉強します

watashi wa 8-ji made benkyou shimasu

I will study until 8 o'clock

雨が降るまで待ちます

ame ga furu made machimasu

I will wait until it stops raining

東京に着くまでに何時間かかりますか

toukyou ni tsuku made ni nan jikan kakarimasu ka

How many hours will it take until we arrive in Tokyo

明日までに完成させなければなりません

ashita made ni kansei sase nakereba narimasen

I must complete it by tomorrow

午後５時までに提出してください

gogo 5-ji made ni teishutsu shite kudasai

Please submit it by 5 pm

来週までに予約を入れてください

raishuu made ni yoyaku o irete kudasai

Please make a reservation by next week

⚠ Using まで for deadlines, which can confuse the listener or reader
⚠ Incorrectly using までに in phrases where まで is more suitable
⚠ Forgetting to use the correct particle after まで or までに, leading to grammatical errors

💡 Associate まで with 'until the last moment' and までに with 'finished by a certain time', like meeting a deadline

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