〜までに: 'By' a Deadline (Meaning + How It Differs from まで)
The deadline it marks
〜までに is the link between an action and its cut-off point in time. It answers "by when?" and marks the latest moment a single, one-time action may happen. The action doesn't fill the interval — it just has to be done before the deadline passes.
Think of English "by": Hand it in by Friday. You don't hand it in for all of Friday; you do it once, at some point, no later than Friday. That single-deadline meaning is exactly 〜までに.
ヤッタンは5時までに帰ります。
ヤッタンは ごじまでに かえります。
Yattan will be back by 5.
One action (returning) done before the 5 o'clock deadline.
レポートは金曜日までに出してください。
レポートは きんようびまでに だして ください。
Please hand in the report by Friday.
先生は明日までに返事をくれます。
せんせいは あしたまでに へんじを くれます。
The teacher will give an answer by tomorrow.
What can sit in front of it
までに hooks onto three things: a time, an event noun, or a dictionary-form verb. Nothing needs conjugating — you just attach it.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time / date | 時 + までに | 5時までに (by 5 o'clock) |
| Noun (event) | 名詞 + までに | 試験までに (by the exam) |
| Verb (dictionary form) | 辞書形 + までに | 家を出るまでに (by the time I leave home) |
When the deadline is itself an action rather than a clock time, the dictionary form + までに reads as "before X happens" / "by the time X happens." The one form to lock in: the verb stays dictionary (plain non-past) even when the sentence is set in the past — 寝るまでに, never 寝たまでに.
ヤッタンは家を出るまでに宿題を終わらせます。
ヤッタンは いえを でるまでに しゅくだいを おわらせます。
Yattan finishes his homework before leaving the house.
Dictionary form 出る + までに = by the time he leaves.
モチは先生が来るまでに教室を片付けました。
モチは せんせいが くるまでに きょうしつを かたづけました。
Mochi tidied the classroom before the teacher arrived.
The main action is past, but までに still takes the dictionary form 来る.
までに or まで — one-shot vs. ongoing
Both grow out of まで, but they attach to opposite kinds of action, so the choice is really about the verb. This is the part to get right.
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜まで | until — a continuous action lasting the whole time, up to a point | 5時まで待つ = wait until 5 (the entire time) |
| 〜までに | by — a one-time action done at some point before a deadline | 5時までに来る = come by 5 (once, no later than then) |
Set the minimal pair side by side and the split is obvious:
ヤッタンは5時まで待ちます。
ヤッタンは ごじまで まちます。
Yattan waits until 5.
まで: the waiting continues the whole time, right up to 5.
ヤッタンは5時までに来ます。
ヤッタンは ごじまでに きます。
Yattan comes by 5.
までに: he arrives once, at some point before 5.
A quick test: if the verb is continuous (wait, sleep, stay open, work), use まで. If it's a one-time, completed action (come, finish, hand in, decide), use までに. You can read more about plain まで in the 〜まで guide, and about its partner 〜から ("from / since") for marking a starting point.
Watch-outs
- Using までに for a continuous action. "Wait until 5" is 5時まで待つ, not までに — waiting fills the whole time, so it needs まで.
- Using まで for a deadline. "Hand it in by Friday" is 金曜日までに出す. Plain まで here would wrongly mean "keep handing it in until Friday."
- Conjugating the verb before までに. Always use the dictionary form: 出るまでに (✓), not 出たまでに or 出ますまでに.
- Dropping the に. までに and まで are different words. Leaving off に flips the meaning from "by" to "until."
The short version
- 〜までに = a deadline: finish a one-time action by that point.
- Attach to a time, a noun, or a verb's dictionary form.
- まで (no に) = "until," for a continuous action up to a point.
- Test: one-time action → までに; lasting action → まで.
Practice it
Choose まで or までに for each sentence.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
＿＿＿帰ります。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between まで and までに?
まで means 'until' — a continuous action that lasts up to a point (5時まで待つ = wait until 5). までに means 'by' — a one-time action finished before a deadline (5時までに来る = come by 5).
What verb form goes before までに?
The dictionary (plain non-past) form, even for past events: 家を出るまでに ('by the time I leave home'). Never use the た-form or ます-form before までに.
Can I use までに with a noun?
Yes. Attach it to a time or an event noun: 試験までに勉強する ('study by the exam'), 月曜日までに ('by Monday').
How do I decide which one to use?
Ask whether the action is continuous or one-time. Continuous (wait, sleep, stay) takes まで; a single completed action (come, finish, submit) takes までに.
Where 〜までに fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- まで · N5 — まで marks an end point in time or space — 5時まで ('until 5'), 駅まで ('to the station'). Learn how it pairs with から for 'from…to,' and how まで differs from までに.
- 〜前に · N5 — 〜前に means 'before': dictionary-form verb + 前に (寝る前に), noun + の前に (食事の前に), and time + 前に (三年前に). Always use the dictionary form — even for past events.
Don't confuse it with
- まで · N5 — まで marks an end point in time or space — 5時まで ('until 5'), 駅まで ('to the station'). Learn how it pairs with から for 'from…to,' and how まで differs from までに.
- 〜から · N5 — から has two everyday jobs: 'because' (giving a reason) and 'from' (a starting point in time or place). Learn how each works, how it differs from ので, with clear examples.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- Volitional Form — The plain volitional form means 'let's ~' or 'I'll ~'. Learn how to make 〜よう/〜おう from every verb type, how it relates to 〜ましょう, and what it builds toward.
- 〜ようと思う — 〜ようと思う uses the volitional form + と思う to say you've decided to do something: 勉強しようと思う. Learn the formation, the 〜ようと思っている variant, and how it differs from つもり and 予定.
- 謙譲語 — 謙譲語 (kenjougo) is humble Japanese: you lower yourself and your group to honor others. Learn the お〜する pattern and special humble verbs like 参る, いたす, 申す, and 伺う.
- 〜のに — This 〜のに attaches to a dictionary-form verb to mean 'for doing X' or 'in order to X', setting up a comment about time, cost, or usefulness — 行くのに1週間かかった (it took a week to go). Not the same のに as 'even though'.
- 尊敬語 — Sonkeigo (尊敬語) raises the person you're talking about — the listener or a third party — never yourself. Learn お〜になる, お〜ください, the passive honorific, and the special verbs.
- 〜そうに/そうな — 〜そうに (adverbial) and 〜そうな (adnominal) attach to an adjective or verb stem to mean 'looking like/seeming to' — 楽しそうに話す ('talk looking happy'), 美味しそうな料理 ('food that looks delicious'). They describe an appearance judged from what's visible.