までもEven, To even, To the extent of

The adverbial particle まで is used in the same way as many other adverbial particles, in that it is highlighting that the statement that comes after it as important in some way. However, unlike our first look at まで, which discussed its use as 'until', this use of まで has the nuance of 'even', or 'to the extent'. It can be used after verbs or nouns.

Although using まで as 'even' may seem different to 'until', they are essentially the same thing in Japanese. This is because まで always means '(A) まで, (B)', where (A) is the 'limitation/extent', and (B) is the 'noteworthy factor'. This 'noteworthy factor' will usually be a descriptive word/phrase, such as a verb, adjective, or explanation.

Fun Fact

The も particle is sometimes grouped together with まで, when the meaning is 'even'. This just adds emphasis to the fact that the event is somewhat surprising, or that the result is satisfying.