Couldn't be more: 〜限りだ
Adj-い / Adj-な + な + 限りだ
Emotion adjective + 限りだ: “couldn't be more…”, the speaker's feeling at its peak. Formal and written, never for other people.
In short
〜限りだ pushes one of the speaker's feelings to its limit: うれしい限りだ “I couldn't be happier”. 限り means “the limit”. It's only used with emotion adjectives (うれしい, 寂しい, 心細い, 恥ずかしい, 羨ましい, 残念な, 頼もしい) and for your own feelings. Written, formal register: speeches, letters, interviews.
- こんなに多くの方に来ていただき、うれしい限りです。こんなにおおくのかたにきていただき、うれしいかぎりです。So many of you have come — I couldn't be happier.
- 知り合いのいない町で一人暮らしをするのは、心細い限りだ。しりあいのいないまちでひとりぐらしをするのは、こころぼそいかぎりだ。Living alone in a town where I don't know anyone is terribly unnerving.
- 決勝を前に怪我をするとは、残念な限りだ。けっしょうをまえにけがをするとは、ざんねんなかぎりだ。Getting injured just before the final is deeply regrettable.
The basics
限り is the limit. 〜限りだ says the emotion has reached its limit: you couldn't be happier, lonelier, more ashamed. It's a superlative of emotion, restrained and elegant, which sounds right in a thank-you speech or a letter.
So many of you have come — I couldn't be happier.
- noun
- verb
- adjective
- grammatical form
- このような賞をいただけるとは、光栄な限りです。このようなしょうをいただけるとは、こうえいなかぎりです。To receive such an award is a great honour for me.
How to form it
限りだ goes after an emotion adjective: an い-adjective as is, a な-adjective with な. Polite: 限りです. The possible adjectives are few, so it's best to learn them.
| Adjective | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| うれしい | うれしい限りだ | couldn't be happier |
| 心細い | 心細い限りだ | terribly anxious, lonely |
| 羨ましい | 羨ましい限りだ | so envious |
| 恥ずかしい | 恥ずかしい限りだ | deeply ashamed |
| 残念な | 残念な限りだ | deeply regrettable |
| 光栄な | 光栄な限りだ | a great honour |
- こんな失敗をするとは、恥ずかしい限りです。こんなしっぱいをするとは、はずかしいかぎりです。Making such a mistake… I'm deeply ashamed.
- 毎年海外旅行とは、羨ましい限りだ。まいとしかいがいりょこうとは、うらやましいかぎりだ。A trip abroad every year? I'm so envious.
The speaker's feeling, and theirs alone
〜限りだ expresses what the speaker feels. For someone else, you'd say うれしそうだ or うれしいようだ, never ×彼はうれしい限りだ. And you need an emotion adjective: ×高い限りだ, ×大きい限りだ are impossible.
With 羨ましい, it's the person envied who's in the spotlight, but the feeling is still yours.
- 母は孫に会えて、とてもうれしそうだ。はははまごにあえて、とてもうれしそうだ。My mother looks delighted to have seen her grandchild.
限りだ, てたまらない, and the other 限り
〜てたまらない (N3) also expresses an intense feeling, but in a livelier, more spoken way, and it accepts physical sensations (暑くてたまらない). 〜限りだ is more composed and more formal.
Don't confuse it with the other uses of 限り: 〜限り “as long as” (生きている限り), 限りがある “there's a limit”, 限りない “boundless”.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜限りだ | to the utmost (emotion, formal) | うれしい限りだ |
| 〜てたまらない | terribly (spoken, also physical) | うれしくてたまらない |
| 〜限り | as long as | 体が動く限り続ける |
| 限りがある | it's limited | 時間には限りがある |
- 体が動く限り、この仕事を続けたい。からだがうごくかぎり、このしごとをつづけたい。As long as my body lets me, I want to keep doing this job.
Common mistakes
- Using it for other people's feelings: ×彼は寂しい限りだ.
- Using it with a non-emotional adjective: ×高い限りだ.
- Confusing it with 限り “as long as”: うれしい限りだ doesn't mean “as long as I'm happy”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Tsurumai Line (Arts and letters) of the Nagoya lines.