まで
made
まで is where you lift the pen off the line
The picture Drawing a line and lifting the pen. It runs that far and no further. まで is where you lift the pen off the line; から is the mouth that line came out of.
Where the picture shows up in まで
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the hour it stops
五時まで働きます。
go-ji made hatarakimasu
I work until five.
The pencil stopping at the five o'clock mark and the hand lifting off
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as far as you go
東京まで行きます。
tōkyō made ikimasu
I'm going as far as Tokyo.
A line drawn along the route map cutting off exactly at Tokyo station
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as far as you got
三ページまで読みました。
san-pēji made yomimashita
I read up to page three.
Closing the book with a finger held in at page three
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once, before that point
金曜日までに出してください。
kin-yōbi made ni dashite kudasai
Please hand it in by Friday.
The document going into the slot in front of Friday, the slots after it left empty
五時まで待つ is waiting the whole way to five; 五時までに出す is handing it in once, before five. Miss までに and you miss the deadline.
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the surprise that reached that far
部長まで笑っていました。
buchō made waratte imashita
Even the department head was laughing.
Laughter spreading down the row until it reaches the department head's seat at the far end
All of it in one picture
まで is where you lift the pen off the line. Lift it at five and the working day ends there; cut the line at Tokyo and that is as far as you travel; keep a finger at page three and that is as far as you read. Slide the document in before Friday and it becomes the deadline; let the laughter reach the department head's seat and it becomes surprise at how far it went. まで always marks the point where it stops.