限る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
限
かぎ Grade: 5
kun'yomi

Etymology

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Kojiki of 712.^[1]

Further derivation is uncertain.

While a surface analysis might suggest a relation to 鍵 (kagi, “key”) or its cognate 鉤 (kagi, “lock”), Japanese references do not make such a connection.^[1]^[2]^[3] In addition, the oldest uses of derived noun 限り (kagiri, “limitation, bound, extent”) indicate that the initial sense was one of "limitation" in terms of time, in contrast to 極み (kiwami, “limitation, bound, extent”) in terms of space.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かぎる [kàgíꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2]
IPA^(key): [ka̠ɡʲiɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「限る」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	限る	かぎる	`[kàgíꜜrù]`
Imperative (命令形)	限れ	かぎれ	`[kàgíꜜrè]`
Key constructions
Passive	限られる	かぎられる	`[kàgíráréꜜrù]`
Causative	限らせる	かぎらせる	`[kàgíráséꜜrù]`
Potential	限れる	かぎれる	`[kàgíréꜜrù]`
Volitional	限ろう	かぎろー	`[kàgíróꜜò]`
Negative	限らない	かぎらない	`[kàgíráꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	限らなかった	かぎらなかった	`[kàgíráꜜnàkàttà]`
Formal	限ります	かぎります	`[kàgírímáꜜsù]`
Perfective	限った	かぎった	`[kàgíꜜttà]`
Conjunctive	限って	かぎって	`[kàgíꜜttè]`
Hypothetical conditional	限れば	かぎれば	`[kàgíꜜrèbà]`

Verb

限(かぎ)る • (kagiru) transitive godan (stem 限(かぎ)り (kagiri), past 限(かぎ)った (kagitta))

to limit, to restrict
be limited to, be restricted to

Conjugation

Conjugation of "限る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	限ら	かぎら	kagira
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	限り	かぎり	kagiri
Shūshikei ("terminal")	限る	かぎる	kagiru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	限る	かぎる	kagiru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	限れ	かぎれ	kagire
Meireikei ("imperative")	限れ	かぎれ	kagire
Key constructions
Passive	限られる	かぎられる	kagirareru
Causative	限らせる限らす	かぎらせるかぎらす	kagiraseru kagirasu
Potential	限れる	かぎれる	kagireru
Volitional	限ろう	かぎろう	kagirō
Negative	限らない	かぎらない	kagiranai
Negative continuative	限らず	かぎらず	kagirazu
Formal	限ります	かぎります	kagirimasu
Perfective	限った	かぎった	kagitta
Conjunctive	限って	かぎって	kagitte
Hypothetical conditional	限れば	かぎれば	kagireba

Classical conjugation of "限る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	限ら	かぎら	kagira
Continuative (連用形)	限り	かぎり	kagiri
Terminal (終止形)	限る	かぎる	kagiru
Attributive (連体形)	限る	かぎる	kagiru
Realis (已然形)	限れ	かぎれ	kagire
Imperative (命令形)	限れ	かぎれ	kagire
Key constructions
Negative	限らず	かぎらず	kagirazu
Contrasting conjunction	限れど	かぎれど	kagiredo
Causal conjunction	限れば	かぎれば	kagireba
Conditional conjunction	限らば	かぎらば	kagiraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	限りき	かぎりき	kagiriki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	限りけり	かぎりけり	kagirikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	限りつ	かぎりつ	kagiritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	限りぬ	かぎりぬ	kagirinu
Perfect-continuative tense	限れり限りたり	かぎれりかぎりたり	kagireri kagiritari
Volitional	限らむ	かぎらむ	kagiramu

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “限”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “限る”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[KDJ2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “限”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DDJS-3] “限る”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[1]

[2]

[3]