까지 (kkaji): A Formal Guide to Korean “until,” “to,” and “even”
Definition and core meaning
까지 marks a limit. It identifies the far edge of a range in time, space, quantity, or degree. When a sentence presents a path, a schedule, or a buildup, 까지 closes that scale and states where the scale stops. The base sense remains the same across uses: “up to” or “as far as,” sometimes shading into “even” when the limit is unexpected.
Time limits
Scheduled end points
까지만 indicates the last moment included in a period.
- 수업이 오후 1시까지 있습니다.
There is class until 1 p.m. - 행사 할인은 오늘부터 14일까지 진행됩니다.
The discount runs through the 14th.
In these patterns, the period is inclusive of the point named with 까지. A student who says 1시까지 means the student remains in class until the clock reaches one o’clock.
Duration within a route
When a sentence names a starting point and a destination, 까지 completes the travel span.
- 고향에서 서울까지 다섯 시간 걸립니다.
It takes five hours from my hometown to Seoul.
If the starting point is explicit, learners usually choose 에서 or 부터 for the start, and 까지 for the end. The pair forms a clear range: A에서 B까지 or A부터 B까지.
Place limits
까지만 also maps the outer boundary of movement or visibility.
- 집에서 학교까지 걸어갑니다.
I walk as far as school from home. - 저기 건물 끝까지 줄이 섰습니다.
The line extends to the end of the building.
In both sentences, 까지 marks the last location that belongs to the described area.
Degree and “even” meaning
Korean uses 까지 to show that a limit expands beyond what is normal or expected. English often reads this use as even.
- 비가 오고 바람까지 붑니다.
It is raining, and even the wind is blowing. - 저녁에 커피까지 사 주셔서 감사합니다.
Thank you for even buying me coffee in the evening.
This additive reading does not cancel the basic “limit” sense; it simply extends the event set right up to an item that listeners did not expect.
Polarity and register
까지 appears in affirmative and negative sentences without restriction.
- 숙제까지 다 했습니다.
Affirmative, additive. - 숙제까지는 못 했습니다.
Negative, with topic marker for contrast.
For very formal writing—such as business notices, policies, and academic passages—까지 fits well because it cleanly defines coverage. Phrases like ~까지로 한다 (“shall be until ~”) are common in regulations and announcements.
Contrast with similar markers
까지 vs. 부터 / 에서
- 부터 and 에서 usually mark the start of a range.
- 까지 marks the end of that same range.
A complete span reads naturally as 시간/장소 + 부터/에서 … 시간/장소 + 까지. Learners should not pair 까지 at both ends. “서울까지 부산까지” is ungrammatical when expressing a single route.
까지 vs. 도
도 adds another item to a neutral list. 까지 adds an item while emphasizing the endpoint or the surprising reach.
- 그는 숙제도 했습니다.
He did his homework (too). - 그는 숙제까지 했습니다.
He went so far as to do his homework.
The second sentence suggests that the speaker views the action as additional or beyond expectation.
까지 vs. 조차 / 마저
조차 and 마저 are stronger and usually skew negative or lamenting.
- 시간조차 없습니다.
I do not even have time (at all). - 친구마저 떠났습니다.
Even my friend left.
까지 can appear in both positive and negative contexts. 조차 is used mostly in negatives, and 마저 often signals disappointment or an undesirable last step. When a neutral or polite tone is required, 까지 is safer.
Combination with other particles
Korean particles stack. 까지 frequently follows a case particle to keep the base grammar intact while adding the endpoint meaning.
- 여기까지가 시험 범위입니다.
여기(부사) + 까지 + 가(이/가) → “Up to here is the test scope.” - 선생님 집 주소까지는 모릅니다.
주소 + 까지 + 는 → topicalized limit, “As for the address, I do not know up to that.” - 계약 기간은 15일까지로 되어 있습니다.
15일 + 까지 + 로 → setting a deadline “as until the 15th.” - 열에서 열까지를 세어 보십시오.
숫자 + 까지 + 를 → object marked span. - 왜 2월은 29일까지밖에 없어요?
까지 + 밖에 → “only up to,” limits plus scarcity nuance. - 결혼 소식은 해외 신문에까지 났다.
에 + 까지 → spread or reach even to foreign newspapers. - 요즘은 회장실에서까지 스마트폰을 본다.
에서 + 까지 → action occurs even in the chairman’s office.
These stacks preserve the grammatical relation (topic, subject, object, location) and then overlay the limit sense with 까지. This order is standard in written and formal registers.
Typical learner errors and corrections
Using 까지 at both ends
Error: 서울까지 부산까지 세 시간 걸린다.
Fix: 부산에서 서울까지 세 시간 걸린다.
Reason: A route needs a start and an end. Mark the start with 에서 or 부터.
Dropping the base case particle
Error: 15일까지 되어 있습니다.
Fix: 15일까지로 되어 있습니다.
Reason: The construction requires 로 to mark the set standard; 까지 alone does not replace it.
Overusing “even” in translation
까지는 always “up to,” but not every sentence needs the English word even. Use even only when the context highlights surprise or extremity. Otherwise until, through, up to, as far as are more precise.
Usage patterns worth mastering
Time window formulas
- 오늘부터 내일까지 휴가입니다.
“from today to tomorrow,” a complete span. - 5시부터 9시까지 아르바이트를 합니다.
A clean schedule frame.
Range questions and answers
- 몇 시까지 영업합니까?
“Until what time are you open?” - 내일까지 끝내겠습니다.
“I will finish by tomorrow.”
Emphatic addition
- 예쁘기까지 해서 인기가 많습니다.
“She is popular because she is even pretty.”
Here, the adjective stem + 기까지 하다 means “to the point of even being X,” a useful pattern in descriptions and reviews.
Testing yourself
- Translate into natural English.
- 비가 그치고 바람까지 멈췄습니다.
- 보고서는 금요일 오후 3시까지로 제출합니다.
- 사장님에게까지 소문이 났습니다.
- Fill in the particle. Choose among 부터, 에서, 까지.
- 서울 ___ 부산 ___ KTX로 세 시간 걸립니다.
Answer: 서울에서 부산까지.
- Rewrite with a softer tone. Replace 조차 or 마저 where possible.
- 휴대폰조차 없어요 → 휴대폰까지는 없습니다 (context permitting).
Repeated practice with these patterns strengthens control over range expressions and tone.
Summary and study guidance
까지 sets an endpoint. It closes ranges in time and place, and it also pushes a list to an unexpected or emphatic item. When combined with other particles, it preserves grammatical roles while adding the limit sense. Learners should pair 에서/부터 … 까지 for spans, reserve even for emphatic contexts, and keep formal constructions such as ~까지로 하다 for policies and plans. A short daily drill—five sentences each for time, place, and degree—builds accuracy. Careful attention to stacking order (case particle + 까지) prevents most mistakes. Mastery of 까지 ensures precise schedules, routes, and nuanced additions in Korean writing and speech.
