Lesson 9.5 Double Particles からは and までは

I think I understood about the other double particles 

but I don't quite understand からは and までは

Ex : このレストランは5時からは開いています。

Tell me if I'm wrong, does this mean that the restaurant opens at 5 a.m. and NOT at any other time?

Ex : 家から駅までは近いです。

And here, it means that only the station is close to his home, NOT something else?

Thanks!

こんにちは (Konnichiwa) GregV84,

Thanks for your question! 

To understand how からは (kara wa) and までは (made wa) work, first, we need to have a good understanding of how these particles work on their own. 

The particle から (kara) means “from” and the particle まで (made) means “until / to.”

The particle は (wa) is the topic particle; however, it's also used to show contrast - think of it like “as for” in English. When we put these particles togeher, we get からは (kara wa), which literally means “as for from,” and までは (made wa), which literally means “as for until.” 

からは (Kara wa) focuses on the starting point of an action or distance and sets it apart from other times or locations. It's used to emphasize that something happens starting from a specific time or place, often implying that it doesn't happen before that.

までは (Made wa) emphasizes the endpoint or limit of an action or distance. It highlights up to where or when something applies.

The からは in the sentence このレストランは5時からは開いています (Kono resutoran wa go-ji kara wa aite imasu) is used to contrast the time the restaurant is open with the time it is closed. Literally, it means “As for from 5 o'clock, the restaurant is open," implying that the restaurant is open from 5 o'clock but not before that. 

The までは (made wa) in the sentence 家から駅までは近いです (Ie kara eki made wa chikai desu) is used to contrast the proximity of the train station (in relation to the house) with the proximity of other places. Literally, it means “As for until the station, (my) house is close,” implying that the station is nearby, but other locations (e.g. the bank, the grocery store, etc.) are not. 

I hope this helps! 

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

勉強を頑張ってください！ (Benkyō o ganbatte kudasai!)