“〜wo kagiri ni”: With 〜 as the Last (ending an action) [JLPT N2]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「今日を限りにたばこをやめる」 — with this point as the last, and no more after.
「本日を限りに、閉店いたします」 — with that moment as the last, never again from then
A shop announcing its closure: 「本日を限りに、閉店いたします」 (as of today — our last day — we close) — 「〜を限りに」 = with ～ as the last, no longer from ～, used to express “taking some point in time as the boundary, after which some act or state ends,” often for formally announcing an ending. It also has an idiomatic sense of “with all one's (voice／strength).” This guide covers both the main sense and the idiomatic one, and distinguishes it from 「を最後に.」
Core: draw a time-line; past the boundary, no more
「noun (a point in time) ＋ を限りに」 means “with ～ as the last, no longer from ～ on”:
- 今年を限りに、現役を引退します (with this year as the last, I retire from active duty).
- 今日を限りに、タバコをやめる (from today I quit smoking — today is the last day of smoking).
- 当店は今月末を限りに、営業を終了いたします (our shop, with the end of this month as the last, ends operations).
Feel: “with ～ as the last, no longer from ～ on” — it draws a boundary at some point in time, declaring “this far and no further; it ends after this.” What precedes is mostly a time point like 「本日・今日・今年・今月末,」 followed by an “ending, no-longer-doing” content (引退・閉店・やめる). It corresponds to “with ～ as the last, no longer from ～, up to ～ (and then it ends),” with a solemn tone, often for formal notices and announcements.
Attachment rules
| Preceding | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| time noun ＋ を限りに | with ～ as the last, no longer from ～ | 本日を限りに |
| 声／力 ＋ を限りに | (idiom) with all one's ～ | 声を限りに叫ぶ |
Examples in context
- 長年勤めた会社を、今月を限りに退職します。(I resign from the company I served for years, with this month as the last.)
- あの試合を限りに、彼はユニフォームを脱いだ。(With that match as the last, he took off his uniform [retired].)
- 今日を限りに、お酒はきっぱりやめる。(From today, I firmly quit drinking.)
- 本日を限りに、このサービスは終了となります。(With today as the last, this service will end.)
- 彼女は声を限りに、助けを求めた。(She cried for help at the top of her lungs.) — idiomatic “utmost” sense
⚠️ Where learners slip up
① The main sense is ‘with ～ as the last, no longer from ～,' mostly for formally announcing an ending. 「〜を限りに」's most core use is “taking some point in time as the boundary, after which some act／state ends” — the focus on “this being the last, drawing a full stop.” It's often for formal, solemn announcements: closing, retiring, resigning, ending a service, quitting a habit. What precedes is a time point (本日・今年・今月末), what follows is “ending, no longer”: 今シーズンを限りに引退する (retire with this season as the last). It corresponds to “with ～ as the last, no longer from ～, up to ～.” Test: to solemnly announce “with some time point as the boundary, it ends／no longer after” → を限りに. (Note: it leans formal, with the gravity of “a full stop”; casually saying “I won't do it anymore” mostly uses 「もう〜ない／今日でやめる.」)
② Precedes a time-point noun, with ‘ending' content after. Get the attachment right. 「を限りに」 (main sense) precedes a noun of a time point (本日・今日・今年・今月末・あの日・今シーズン), followed by “ending, no-longer” content (閉店する・引退する・やめる・終了する). It doesn't take a general noun for “limitation” — that's a different 「限り」 usage. Mnemonic: time point ＋ を限りに ＋ (ends／no longer ～) = with ～ as the last.
③ The idiom 「声を限りに／力を限りに」 is ‘to the utmost,' a different sense from ‘the last.' This is where it's most confused. 「を限りに」 also has a fixed idiom: taking 「声・力」 it means “exhausting, to the utmost,” entirely different from “with ～ as the last”: 声を限りに叫ぶ (shout at the top of one's lungs — exhausting one's voice), 力を限りに戦う (fight with all one's might — exhausting one's strength), 命を限りに (with one's life on the line). Here 「限り」 takes the sense “limit, extremity,” and 「を限りに」 = “to the very limit.” Test: with a time point (本日・今年) → “with ～ as the last” (ending sense); with 声・力・命 → “with all one's ～” (idiomatic sense). The two senses are told apart by the preceding word — a time point is “ending,” 声/力 is “utmost.” Don't take every 「を限りに」 as “the last”; with 「声」 it's “at the top of one's lungs.”
🔄 Compare: を限りに／を最後に／限り／かぎり
| Form | Emphasis | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜を限りに | with ～ (a time point) as the last, no longer from ～ (formal announcement of ending) | 本日を限りに |
| 〜を最後に | with ～ as the last (nothing since) | あの日を最後に |
| 声／力 ＋ を限りに | (idiom) with all one's ～ | 力を限りに |
| 〜限り（は） | as long as ～／the extent of ～ (a different pattern) | 生きている限り |
💡 An exam judgment tip
「〜を限りに」 = with ～ as the last, no longer from ～ — three points: ① the main sense is “with some time point as the boundary, it ends after” — mostly for formal, solemn announcements (closing・retiring・resigning・ending a service); ② precedes a time-point noun, with ‘ending' content after (本日を限りに閉店する); ③ the idiom 「声を限りに／力を限りに」 is ‘to the utmost' — don't confuse it with the ‘last' sense. This pattern carries the gravity of “a full stop,” well suited to formal notices and announcing a retirement／closure — 「本日を限りに,」 「今シーズンを限りに」 lend a weight of solemn closure. The easiest slip is mistaking the idiomatic “utmost” sense (with 声・力) for “the last” — remember “time point = the last, 声/力 = to the utmost” and you'll keep them straight.
❓ Common questions
Q: Do 「本日を限りに」 and 「本日を最後に」 mean the same?
Very close — both ‘with today as the last' — but the feel and usage differ slightly. 「〜を限りに」 = with ～ as the last, no longer from ～ (formal, solemn, often with an ‘actively ending／announcing' flavor): it's often for formal announcements, notices, carrying the weight of “solemnly drawing a full stop, actively ending” — closing, retiring, resigning, quitting: 本日を限りに閉店いたします (with today as the last, we close — a formal announcement), 今年を限りに引退する (with this year as the last, I retire — a solemn declaration). What precedes is mostly a time point like 「本日・今年・今月末,」 what follows an actively-ending act. It leans written, formal. 「〜を最後に」 = with ～ as the last (nothing has happened／been done since): it's more neutral, objective, plainly stating “with some time point as the last, nothing more since,” not necessarily with the gravity of a “formal announcement,” often for the objective description of “without realizing, nothing since”: あの日を最後に、彼とは会っていない (since that day, I haven't met him — an objective statement, not an “announcement”), その電話を最後に、連絡が途絶えた (with that call as the last, contact was cut off). Difference: 「を限りに」 leans “formally, actively announcing an ending” (with gravity); 「を最後に」 leans “an objective statement that nothing has happened since” (more neutral). Test: to formally announce “with ～ as the boundary, it ends／no longer from here” (closing・retiring) → を限りに; to objectively say “with ～ as the last, nothing since” → を最後に. E.g. 「今シーズンを限りに現役を退く (retire with this season as the last — a solemn announcement)」 uses を限りに; 「10年前を最後に、彼の消息は聞かない (since ten years ago, no word of him — objective)」 uses を最後に. In many cases both work (本日を限りに／を最後に閉店), but for a formal announcement を限りに carries more weight.
Q: In 「声を限りに叫ぶ,」 is 「を限りに」 also ‘with ～ as the last'?
No — here it's 「を限りに」's other idiomatic sense: to exhaust, to the utmost. When what precedes 「を限りに」 is a word like 「声・力・命,」 the meaning isn't “with ～ as the last” but “exhaust ～, to the very limit”: 声を限りに叫ぶ = shout exhausting one's voice = shout at the top of one's lungs, 力を限りに戦う = fight exhausting all strength = with all one's might, 命を限りに愛する = love with one's life on the line. Here 「限り」 takes the sense “limit, extremity,” and 「〜を限りに」 = “push ～ to the limit.” It's a different extension of the same 「限り (limit／extremity)」 as the main sense “with (a time point) as the last” — time's “extremity” = the last, voice/strength's “used to the extremity” = to the utmost. Tell them apart by the preceding word: with a “time point” (本日・今年) → “with ～ as the last” (ending sense); with 「声・力・命」 → “with all one's ～” (idiomatic sense). So 「声を限りに」 is fixedly “at the top of one's lungs,” 「力を限りに」 fixedly “with all one's might” — set collocations, just memorize them. Seeing 「を限りに,」 first check whether what precedes is a time or 「声/力,」 and you'll know it's “the last” or “the utmost.”
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「___、彼女はこの会社を去ることになった。」(As of today, she will be leaving this company)
(A) 今日に限って (B) 今日を限りに (C) 今日に限り (D) 今日までに
Q2. 「この大会___、現役を引退します。」(This tournament will be my last — I am retiring)
(A) を限りに (B) に限って (C) に限る (D) を契機に
Q3. 「暑い日は冷たいものを食べる___。」(Speaking of my favorite, on a hot day nothing beats eating something cold)
(A) を限りに (B) に限って (C) に限る (D) に限らず
Q4. 「を限りに」の意味に最も近い表現は？
(A) だけ（limiting / only）
(B) を最後に（marking 〜 as the last）
(C) のために（for the sake of 〜）
(D) から（from 〜）
Q5. 「___健康診断の結果___、お酒を飲むのをやめることにしました。」(Prompted by these health-checkup results, I decided to quit drinking)
(A) この・を限りに (B) この・に限って (C) この・に限る (D) この・によって
Answer Explanations
1. (B) 今日を限りに ── 「今日を限りに」(as of today, at the latest), 「この会社を去る」(leaving) = a cut-off/ending point → を限りに.
2. (A) を限りに ── 「この大会を限りに」(this tournament being the last), 「引退します」(retiring) = a classic use of を限りに (retiring, marking a certain event as the boundary).
3. (C) に限る ── 「暑い日は冷たいものに限る！」(On a hot day, nothing beats something cold!) = に限る (the emphatic "nothing beats 〜").
4. (B) を最後に ── 「を限りに」≒「を最後に」(marking 〜 as the last), the closest in meaning. Both express "a cut-off point up to which something holds."
5. (A) この・を限りに ── 「この健康診断の結果を限りに」(marking these health-checkup results as the boundary), 「お酒をやめる」= を限りに (ending an action, using a certain event as the dividing line).