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Expanding on [my previous
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/2910/542),

What if the range is not numerical? I encountered these on a book for learning
Japanese.

The `初～中級編` book for beginner to intermediate level and `中～上級編` for
intermediate to advanced level.

**(Question)** If I were to read "~" out loud, what would it be? Can I
similarly use `から` and `乃至`?

In English I can use "`From` One `to` ten" and "`From` beginner `to`
advanced", is it reasonable for me to map this to Japanese? i.e. the use of
`から` and `まで`?
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2011-10-06T13:29:49.187
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readings
Reading a non-numerical range
This is an interesting question. In library catalogs and similar contexts,
"初～中" tends to be treated as a variant of "初・中" (or vice versa), and assigned
the pronunciation "しょちゅう". I assume the same applies for other non-numeric
ranges. But I'm not sure if this is the result of a conscious decision by a
human being, or just software limitations.

I recall reading that "～" should only be pronounced から when it is either
explicitly paired with まで (e.g. "月曜日～水曜日まで") or, less ideally, not paired with
anything at all (i.e. just meaning "From X [to an unspecified end point]"). In
other cases, **including** when it is part of a pair that does not have まで
after the second item, the rule was that it should not be pronounced at all --
as described in my first paragraph.

This is sort of like the pronounced hyphen in "4-6 mL" ("four to six
milliliters") versus the unpronounced hyphen in English phrases like "the
Boston-New York route", I guess. On the other hand, I don't remember exactly
where I read this tidbit, but it was definitely in a prescriptive style guide
so it could be an artificial rule with no basis in actual spoken Japanese.
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