# 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.
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. 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.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かぎる [kàgíꜜrù] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [ka̠ɡʲiɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「限る」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| 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

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 |
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 2 3 “限”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* 1 2 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]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months