Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 3: 16/17

()くまで

Just, Only, Merely, Strictly

Structure

あくまで()+ Phrase

Details

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About 飽くまで(も)

()く is the old-fashioned and somewhat poetic version of ()きる the る-Verb meaning 'to tire of (A)', or 'to get sick of (A)'. When used in conjunction with the adverbial particles まで 'until', ()くまで can imply that (A) is 'just', 'only', or 'strictly' something. The more literal translation of 'to continue (A) to the point of getting tired of it' fits these interpretations quite well, implying that (A) will never deviate from what is being described about it. This use of ()くまで often appears at the beginning of a phrase, and functions adverbially. The adverbial particle も 'even' may be added for extra emphasis, but it is not required.

In many cases, ()くまで will be used in polite sentences when the speaker is expressing their own opinion. In these cases, the nuance of 'this is merely my opinion' is conveying to the listener that the speaker realizes that what they are saying is not the only viewpoint.

This way of highlighting opinions is often combined with structures like けど, or が when the speaker wants to soften their statement before offering what they think a solution might be.

Examples

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    会社(かいしゃ)代表(だいひょう)はビジネスパートナーに:「(いま)からお(はな)しすることは、()くまで(わたし)個人的(こじんてき)意見(いけん)で、会社(かいしゃ)としての公式(こうしき)意見(いけん)ではないことをご了承(りょうしょう)いただきたいのですが、...」

    Company representative to business partners: 'What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, so please understand that this is not our official stance as a company…'

    配偶者1(はいぐうしゃいち)配偶者2(はいぐうしゃに):「もうガスがちゃんと()めてあるか確認(かくにん)したのを()ってるけど、もう一度(いちど)確認(かくにん)してね。()くまでも一応(いちおう)だけどね。」

    Spouse 1 to Spouse 2: 'I know you have already checked if the gas is turned off, but please check again. Just to be sure.'

    「その影響(えいきょう)東京(とうきょう)オリンピックは20XX(ねん)開催(かいさい)できないと(おも)います。でもまぁ、()くまでも(わたし)想像(そうぞう)()ぎないので、真剣(しんけん)(かんが)えないでください。」

    'I think that due to its influence, the Olympics might also not happen in 20XX. But this is just what I imagine will happen, so don't look into it too much.'

    学術論文(がくじゅつろんぶん):「このアルゴリズムの実世界(じっせかい)での使用法(しようほう)場合(ばあい)によって(こと)なりますので、()くまでも本稿(ほんこう)はガイドラインとして()(あつか)いください。」

    Scientific article: 'The real-world application of this algorithm differs from case to case, therefore use this paper just as a reference.'

    探偵(たんてい):「その()()がったのは偶然(ぐうぜん)ではなかったかもしれない。まぁ、これは()くまで(ぼく)仮説(かせつ)ですが。」

    Detective: 'That fire might not have been entirely an accident. This is just my hypothesis, though.'

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        • A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar

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