Kagiri in Japanese: As Long As, As Far As, Ni Kagiru and Ni Kagitte

What kagiri means

Kagiri is the noun form of kagiru, to limit, and on its own it means a limit or an end. Kagiri aru shigen means limited resources; kagiri nai means limitless. Every grammar use keeps that idea of a boundary.

The meaning depends on what sits inside the boundary. A continuing state gives as long as: the statement is true while the state lasts. A verb of knowing gives as far as: the statement is true within what I know. A time or quantity noun gives only: the offer is limited to today. With ni and a noun, kagiru and kagitte pick one item out from all others, for praise or for bad luck.

Kagiri is usually written in kanji in adult texts, and you will see it on shop signs, in contracts and in everyday speech alike.

Forms of kagiri at a glance

Kagiri behaves like a noun, so it follows the plain form of verbs and adjectives, na with na adjectives and no or de aru with nouns. The ni kagiru family attaches to nouns, and to plain verbs in the nothing beats meaning.

As long as and unless: kagiri and nai kagiri

After a state that continues, kagiri means as long as or while. The state is usually expressed with iru, aru, te iru, an adjective or a noun with de aru: ikite iru kagiri, as long as I live; kenkō de aru kagiri, as long as I'm healthy. The main clause states something that will hold for that whole period, often a promise or a firm rule.

With a negative verb, nai kagiri means unless. The main clause is usually negative too, or describes a situation that will not change: doryoku shinai kagiri, jōtatsu shinai, you won't improve unless you make an effort. This is one of the most useful N3 to N2 patterns in speaking because it sounds firm but reasonable.

As far as: shiru kagiri and kagiri de wa

With verbs of knowing, seeing, hearing and checking, kagiri limits a statement to the speaker's information: watashi no shiru kagiri, as far as I know; mita kagiri, from what I saw; shirabeta kagiri, as far as I checked. It is a polite way to be honest about how sure you are.

Adding de wa, kagiri de wa, stresses that the statement applies only within that range and may not be true beyond it. Kiita kagiri de wa, ii hito rashii, from what I've heard, he seems like a good person. In this meaning kagiri and kagiri de wa are often interchangeable; in the as long as meaning, de wa is not used.

Only and to the limit: kyō kagiri and dekiru kagiri

After a time or quantity noun, kagiri means only or limited to. Honjitsu kagiri, today only, and kikan kagiri, limited period, are standard on shop signs. Konkai kagiri, this time only, and ikkai kagiri, once only, appear in rules and warnings. Sono ba kagiri describes something that lasts only for the moment, like a hollow promise.

Kagiri can also mean to the limit. Dekiru kagiri and kanō na kagiri mean as much as possible, and chikara no kagiri means with all one's strength. After an emotion adjective, kagiri da means extremely: ureshii kagiri desu, I'm truly delighted, and sabishii kagiri da, it's terribly lonely. This last use is formal and common in speeches and letters.

Ni kagiru and ni kagirazu

X ni kagiru has two meanings. In conversation, it often means X is the best or nothing beats X: tsukareta toki wa neru ni kagiru, when you're tired, nothing beats sleep. The subject is usually a situation marked with wa, and X is a noun or a plain verb.

In notices and rules, ni kagiru means limited to: shiyō wa kaiin ni kagirimasu, use is limited to members. The related ni kagiri appears in offers: senchaku hyaku mei ni kagiri, for the first hundred people only.

The negative ni kagirazu means not limited to or not only: Nihon ni kagirazu, not only in Japan; kodomo ni kagirazu otona mo, not just children but adults too. It is a formal alternative to dake de naku.

Ni kagitte: of all times and of all people

Ni kagitte picks out one time or person as the unlucky exception. With times, it describes Murphy's law: the thing goes wrong precisely when it matters. Isoide iru toki ni kagitte, precisely when I'm in a hurry, and kasa o motte inai hi ni kagitte, on the very day I don't have an umbrella, are classic examples.

With people, ni kagitte usually appears with a negative and expresses trust: uchi no ko ni kagitte, sonna koto wa shinai, my child, of all people, would never do that. The phrase can also be neutral in notices, where it means only on: kyō ni kagitte, jūji made eigyō shimasu, today only, we are open until ten.

Kagiri vs aida and uchi

Aida and uchi also translate as while, and learners sometimes swap them with kagiri. Aida marks a time span: nihon ni iru aida, during my stay in Japan. Uchi means while the chance lasts: wakai uchi ni, while you're still young. Kagiri is a condition rather than a time: nihon ni iru kagiri, as long as I stay in Japan, and the main clause holds only while the condition is true.

Common mistakes with kagiri

• Using kagiri for a one-off event: nihon ni itta kagiri is unnatural in the as long as meaning; the condition must be a continuing state.
• Adding de wa in the as long as meaning: ikite iru kagiri de wa sounds wrong; kagiri de wa is for knowledge and information.
• Using ni kagitte for ordinary good luck: it normally marks bad luck with times, or strong trust with people, so a neutral sentence sounds odd.
• Forgetting that ni kagiru means nothing beats in conversation: natsu wa bīru ni kagiru does not mean summer is limited to beer.
• Leaving out na with na adjectives: genki kagiri should be genki na kagiri.
• Using ni kagirazu with a verb: ni kagirazu follows nouns; for verbs, use dake de naku.