〜ない限り
Unless / so long as not 〜ない限り
Meaning
"Unless ~", "so long as ~ does not happen".
Formation
[verb ない form] + 限り · [noun] でない + 限り
Notes
Stronger than the neutral 〜なければ: it insists that nothing will change until that one condition is met, so the main clause is normally negative or impossible.
Examples
練習（れんしゅう）しない限（かぎ）り、上手（じょうず）になりません。
Unless you practise, you will not get good.
Breakdown
雨（あめ）が降（ふ）らない限（かぎ）り、試合（しあい）はあります。
Unless it rains, the match is on.
Breakdown
許可（きょか）がない限（かぎ）り、中（なか）に入（い）れません。
Without permission you cannot go inside.
Breakdown
本人（ほんにん）が言（い）わない限（かぎ）り、誰（だれ）も気（き）づかないでしょう。
Unless he says so himself, nobody will notice.
Breakdown
病気（びょうき）でない限（かぎ）り、休（やす）むべきではありません。
Unless you are ill, you should not take time off.
Breakdown
⚠️ Often confused with
〜しか〜ない
Only 〜しか〜ない
"Only ~" — expresses limitation, with a nuance of "nothing but / not enough". MUST be used...
〜だけ
Only / just だけ
"Only / just ~" — neutral limitation. Unlike しか, だけ goes with an AFFIRMATIVE verb and...
[数量]＋も / [数量]＋しか〜ない
Quantity + も / しか
Colours a quantity as large (も, "as many as") or small (しか〜ない, "only").
〜てばかりいる
Do nothing but 〜てばかりいる
Criticises a repeated action — "does nothing but ~", "is always ~ing".
〜だらけ
Covered in 〜だらけ
"Covered in ~", "full of ~" — an unpleasant abundance.
〜きり
Ever since / only 〜きり
Two uses: "and that was the last of it" after a past verb, and "just / only" after a noun.
〜なんて
Something like (belittling) 〜なんて
Dismisses or belittles — "something like ~", "the very idea of ~". Can also express surpri...
〜限り（は）
As long as 〜限り（は）
"As long as ~", "as far as ~" — the condition under which the statement holds.
〜に限らず
Not limited to 〜に限らず
"Not just ~", "not limited to ~".
〜に限って
Of all times 〜に限って
"Of all times / of all people ~"; also "~ alone would never".
〜に限る
Nothing beats 〜に限る
"Nothing beats ~", "~ is the best thing".
〜をもって
As of (formal) 〜をもって
"As of ~", "with ~", "by means of ~" — a formal boundary or instrument.
〜に至るまで
Extending even to 〜に至るまで
"Extending all the way to ~", "down to even ~" — the range reaches an extreme.