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JLPT N3Connectives

～に限らず— Not Only; Not Limited To

Means 'not limited to X' — it indicates that something applies not only to one case but to a wider range. It expands the scope beyond the noun it attaches to. Often paired with も or まで in the following clause to include additional items.

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Pro lessonUNIT 61 · CONNECTIVES

Structure · 形

[Noun] + に限らず

Examples · 例文

  • この店は週末に限らず、平日も混んでいる。

    Kono mise wa shuumatsu ni kagirazu, heijitsu mo konde iru.

    This shop is crowded not only on weekends but on weekdays too.

    週末 + に限らず expands beyond weekends; 平日も adds weekdays

  • 子供に限らず、大人もアニメを楽しんでいる。

    Kodomo ni kagirazu, otona mo anime wo tanoshinde iru.

    Not only children but adults too enjoy anime.

    子供 + に限らず widens the scope; 大人も includes adults

  • 日本語に限らず、多くの言語を勉強したい。

    Nihongo ni kagirazu, ooku no gengo wo benkyou shitai.

    I want to study many languages, not just Japanese.

    日本語 + に限らず opens the scope to other languages as well

Usage notes · 注意

  • Usually followed by も or まで to include the additional items.
  • Register: neutral to formal.
  • The noun before に限らず is a representative example, not the only case.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～に限らず is tested against.

vsに限って

に限らず expands the scope beyond one case ('not only'), the opposite of に限って, which singles out one case for emphasis.

vsだけでなく

に限らず attaches to a noun and feels slightly more formal, while だけでなく can follow verbs/adjectives too and is more broadly usable.

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