How to say "limited" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- na-adjective, no-adjectiveA katakana loanword found chiefly in names and labels — of trains, products, services — rather than in ordinary sentences; for stating that something is limited, other words are the normal choice.
- 有限ゆうげんno-adjective, na-adjectiveThe precise counterpart of 'finite': used of time, resources, energy, or life as something with an end or fixed bound, in contrast to what is infinite.
- 乏しいとぼしいi-adjectiveCovers 'limited' when the point is that an amount is meager or insufficient — funds, food, experience, knowledge; it stresses that there is plainly not enough.
- 狭いせまいi-adjectiveBasically 'narrow' in a physical sense; its 'limited' reading applies to range, scope, or outlook — a narrow view of things — and it is not the word for limited quantities.
Use 有限 for finite time or resources, 「乏しい」 for amounts that are meager or insufficient, 「狭い」 for a narrow range or outlook, and 「リミテッド」 chiefly in names and labels rather than ordinary statements.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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