One Simple Pattern for “From-To” in Japanese

Want to say “from 9 to 5”? Or “from Tokyo to Hokkaido”?

In Japanese, you can express all of that with one simple pattern:

〜から〜まで

This structure shows a starting point and an ending point.

It works for:

• Time
• Duration
• Life experiences
• Physical distance

And the structure never changes.

Let’s break it down 👇

---

🌿 Basic Structure

Noun + から + Noun + まで

• から = from
• まで = until / to

Together → from A to B

---

🕒 Time / Duration

9時じから5時じまで働はたらきます。
I work from 9 to 5.

月曜日げつようびから金曜日きんようびまで学校がっこうがあります。
There is school from Monday to Friday.

春はるから夏なつまで暑あついです。
It’s hot from spring to summer.

朝あさから夜よるまで働はたらきました。
I worked from morning until night.

最初さいしょから最後さいごまで見みました。
I watched it from beginning to end.

子供こどもの時ときから今いままでずっとサッカーをしています。
I’ve been playing soccer from childhood until now.

👉 今いままで means “until now.”

Notice: The verb tense changes depending on the situation — not because of から〜まで.

---

🚉 Places

名古屋なごやから東京とうきょうまで新幹線しんかんせんで行いきました。
I went from Nagoya to Tokyo by Shinkansen.

家いえから駅えきまで歩あるきます。
I walk from my house to the station.

ホテルから空港くうこうまでどのくらいかかりますか？
How long does it take from the hotel to the airport?

---

✏️ Another Common Way to Write Time Ranges

In written Japanese (schedules, signs, websites), you’ll often see:

• 9時じ〜5時じ
• 7:00〜9:00
• 月げつ〜金きん
• 10:00-18:00

The 〜 (wave dash) or a dash (-) replaces から〜まで in written formats.

Example:

営業時間えいぎょうじかん：9時じ〜18時じ
Business hours: 9:00–18:00

So generally:

🗣 Conversation → 9時じから5時じまで
📝 Written schedules → 9時じ〜5時じ

Both mean the same thing.

---

⚡ Important Notes

✔ You can use から alone:

9時じから働はたらきます。
I work from 9.
(The ending point is not mentioned.)

✔ You can use まで alone:

5時じまで働はたらきます。
I work until 5.
(The starting point is not mentioned.)

---

✅ Questions for Practice

1️⃣ いつから日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしていますか？
From when have you been studying Japanese?

2️⃣ 家いえから学校がっこう（会社かいしゃ）までどのくらいかかりますか？
How long does it take from your house to school/work?

3️⃣ 子供こどもの時ときから今いままで続つづけていることはありますか？
Is there anything you’ve continued from childhood until now?

---

✍️ Mini Practice

How would you say:

1️⃣ From April to June

2️⃣ From the hotel to the station

3️⃣ From today until Sunday

Try writing them in Japanese ✨

---

🌟 Final Thought

〜から〜まで is simple, but extremely powerful.

You’ll use it to talk about:

• Schedules
• Time ranges
• Distance
• Duration
• Life experiences

Once you master this pattern, your Japanese will instantly sound more natural.