〜限り（は）

〜限り（かぎり）sets the SCOPE of validity: as long as condition A holds, B holds. 日本にいる限り、勉強を続けたい (as long as I'm in Japan, I want to keep studying). The implication: if A goes away, B may change too.

The negative form 〜ない限り means "unless…": 練習しない限り、上手にはならない (unless you practice, you won't get better). This way of saying "if not…, then definitely not…" is much loved in written Japanese.

The variant 〜限りでは limits the scope of the speaker's KNOWLEDGE and goes with 知っている・見た・聞いた: 私が知っている限りでは (as far as I know…). Compared with うちに — a pattern that also says "while still…" — 限り stresses the logical condition "while A holds, B holds," whereas うちに stresses seizing the chance to do something before the state ends.

Examples

• 日本(にほん)にいる限(かぎ)り、日本語(にほんご)の勉強(べんきょう)を続(つづ)けたいです。

  As long as I'm in Japan, I want to continue studying Japanese.

• 練習(れんしゅう)しない限(かぎ)り、上手(じょうず)にはなりません。

  Unless you practice, you won't get better.

• 私(わたし)が知(し)っている限(かぎ)りでは、彼(かれ)はまだ独身(どくしん)です。

  As far as I know, he's still single.

Related patterns

• 〜さえ〜ば
• 〜うちに