～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.
Structure
[Noun] + に限らず
Examples
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
• 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.
More connectives
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