Nothing beats: 〜に限る
Noun / Verb (dictionary / ない) + に限る
Noun / Verb (dictionary / ない) + に限る: “nothing beats, the best thing is”, a personal opinion. In announcements, 〜に限り = “only, limited to”.
In short
〜に限る gives the speaker's view of the best thing to do or choose in a situation: “nothing beats, there's nothing better than”. 夏は冷たいお茶に限る: “in summer, nothing beats iced tea”. It's a personal judgement, often said with conviction.
- 夏は冷たいお茶に限る。なつはつめたいおちゃにかぎる。In summer, nothing beats iced tea.
- 疲れたときは、早く寝るに限る。つかれたときは、はやくねるにかぎる。When you're tired, the best thing is to go to bed early.
- 怪しいメールは、開けないに限る。あやしいめーるは、あけないにかぎる。With a suspicious email, the best thing is not to open it.
The basics
限る means “to limit, to be limited to”. So 〜に限る is “it comes down to that, there's only that”: of all the options, the speaker declares that only one is truly right — English “nothing beats”, “you can't beat”, “the best thing is”.
It's a personal opinion, not an objective truth: you're sharing your tip, your taste, your life wisdom.
When you're tired, the best thing is to go to bed early.
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- 京都を回るなら、自転車に限る。きょうとをまわるなら、じてんしゃにかぎる。To get around Kyoto, nothing beats a bike.
How to form it
Noun + に限る, or verb in the dictionary form (or in ない) + に限る. The start of the sentence often sets the situation: 〜ときは, 〜なら, 〜は.
| Type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun | Noun + に限る | 冬は鍋に限る |
| verb | dictionary + に限る | 早く寝るに限る |
| negative verb | 〜ない + に限る | 近づかないに限る |
- 危ない所には、近づかないに限る。あぶないところには、ちかづかないにかぎる。Dangerous places are best kept away from.
- 日本のお茶なら、宇治のお茶に限る。にほんのおちゃなら、うじのおちゃにかぎる。When it comes to Japanese tea, nothing beats Uji tea.
Another meaning: “limited to, only”
In announcements and rules, 〜に限り / 〜に限って means “limited to, only for”: 本日に限り, “today only”; 先着十名に限り, “first ten customers only”. Here it's no longer an opinion, it's a limit.
Compared with いちばん: いちばんいい is a neutral assessment; に限る is more personal and more emphatic (“that's the only thing for it!”).
- 先着十名に限り、プレゼントを差し上げます。せんちゃくじゅうめいにかぎり、ぷれぜんとをさしあげます。A gift will be given to the first ten people only.
- 夏の飲み物では、麦茶がいちばん好きだ。なつののみものでは、むぎちゃがいちばんすきだ。Of all summer drinks, barley tea is my favourite.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up に限る (nothing beats) and に限らず (not only): the ending barely changes, but the meanings are almost opposite.
- Mixing up に限る and とは限らない (not necessarily).
- Taking it for an objective fact: it's the speaker's opinion. For a rule, you'd rather say 〜ほうがいい or 〜べきだ.
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 N3 point is on the Kosei Line (Thinking and deciding) of the Kyoto lines.