に限る【にかぎる】

is best, nothing is better than, nothing better than, there's nothing like, limited to

AI-generated

Structure

[noun] + に限る [verb (dictionary form)] + に限る [verb ない-form] + に限る

Description

に限る says "nothing beats X", "the best thing is X": the speaker's firm opinion, usually from experience, about what to have or do in a situation. It follows a noun, or a verb in the dictionary form or the ない-form, and the situation usually comes first with は or ときは.

。

In summer, nothing beats a beer.

。

When you're tired, the best thing is to sleep.

。

It's best not to say more than you need to.

The verb before it is never in the past, even when the opinion comes from what happened to you: ×寝たに限る.

に限る or が一番

says the same thing more neutrally. に限る carries the speaker's conviction, and it sounds like a personal rule of thumb rather than objective advice, so it suits a remark among friends better than a recommendation in a report.

。

On a cold day, you can't beat a hot pot.

。

On a cold day, a hot pot is the best.

"Limited to"

In notices and rules, に限る keeps the literal meaning of かぎる限る: something applies only to the noun before it. The form にかぎり限り does the same in mid-sentence: ほんじつ本日にかぎり限り, "today only".

。

Participation is limited to those aged 18 and over.

、。

There is a discount for the first 100 people only.

and are separate grammar points built on the same verb.

Examples

。

In summer, nothing beats beer.

。

When you're tired, the best thing to do is sleep.

。

On cold days, nothing beats a hot pot dish.

。

On days off, there's nothing like taking it easy.

。

For things like this, it's best to pretend you don't know.

。

It's best not to say unnecessary things.

、。

For your health, nothing is better than walking.

。

After all, spring is the best time for traveling.

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It's best not to get involved in suspicious matters.

。

Participation is limited to those 18 and older.

。

Entries are limited to one per person.

、。

When stress builds up, there's nothing like exercising.

References

に限るBunpro

に関する / に関して

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