The Japanese focus particles だけ transcribed dake, しか transcribed shika, ばかり transcribed bakari are all used in contexts where you might use limiting words like “only,” “just,” or “anything but,” in English. Here’s a quick summary of the differences between these words:
だけ transcribed dake is fairly neutral, like “only.”
しか transcribed shika only works in negative sentences, much like “anything but,” though we often translate such sentences using other words.
ばかり transcribed bakari is a little more like “just,” but it is a little more emphatic, marking that something is happening so much that it’s basically exclusively what happens.
In this post, we’ll look at each of these focus particles, and then compare their usage, side-by-side, to help you master the differences between them. Let’s have a look!
How to use だけ [dake]?
The focus particle だけ transcribed dake is used to indicate that a limit is imposed on something, as “only…,” “just…,” “...alone,” or “merely…” do in English. This is used in a broad range of contexts. For example, we can use it in both affirmative and negative sentences like this:
だけ can mark nouns and pronouns, as in the above examples, but it can also mark other elements such as verbs, adjectives, and quantifiers (i.e., expressions that indicate quantity as in “once” or “a little”). Here are a couple of examples.
Where to put だけ in a sentence?
As seen in the examples above, だけ transcribed dake generally comes right after the element it marks or sets off. However, there are some rules to learn about using だけ alongside other particles:
When setting off a noun phrase that ends with the case particles が transcribed ga or を transcribed o, the particle だけ will either replace them or precede them.
focus particlecase particleジョンさんだけ (が) 来ました。Transcription: Jon san dake (ga) kimashita.Translation: Only John came.スーパーでガムだけ (を) 買いました。Transcription: Sūpā de gamu dake (o) kaimashita.Translation: I bought only a pack of chewing gum at the supermarket.When setting off noun phrases that end with a case particle such as に transcribed ni, へ transcribed e, で transcribed de, と transcribed to, or から transcribed kara, it can come either before or after the other particle like this:
focus particlecase particleうちの猫は母だけに甘える。Transcription: Uchi no neko wa haha dake ni amaeru.Translation: Our cat only fawns on my mother.うちの猫は母にだけ甘える。Transcription: Uchi no neko wa haha ni dake amaeru.Translation: Our cat fawns only on my mother.This places slightly more emphasis on the fact that the speaker’s mother is the only recipient of their cat’s love.
How to use しか [shika]?
Like だけ transcribed dake, the focus particle しか transcribed shika limits something, but しか transcribed shika is only used in negative sentences. It is used sort of like “(not) anything but” and similar phrases in English. For example:
However, sometimes it may be hard to translate sentences with しか into English directly, so you’ll end up using other translations, like “only.”
Where to put しか in a sentence?
Just like だけ transcribed dake, しか transcribed shika comes directly after the element it marks. However, it interacts slightly differently with other particles:
When setting off a noun phrase that ends with the case particles が transcribed ga or を transcribed o, you’ll always use しか transcribed shika to replace them like this:
ジョンさんしか来ませんでした。Transcription: Jon san shika kimasendeshita.Translation: Nobody but John came.Literally: There didn’t come anyone but John.No が!スーパーでガムしか買いませんでした。Transcription: Sūpā de gamu shika kaimasendeshita.Translation: I didn’t buy anything but a pack of chewing gum at the supermarket.When setting off noun phrases that end with a case particle such as に transcribed ni, へ transcribed e, で transcribed de, と transcribed to, or から transcribed kara, place しか transcribed shika right after the said particle like this:
focus particlecase particle空港へはバスでしか行けません。Transcription: Kūkō e wa basu de shika ikemasen.Translation: There isn’t a way to get to the airport anyway but by bus.そのことは親友にしか教えていない。Transcription: Sono koto wa shinyū ni shika oshiete inai.Translation: I haven’t told anyone but my best friend about that.
How to use the sequence だけしか [dake shika]〜ない [X nai] ?
You can use だけ transcribed dake and しか transcribed shika together as a sequence: だけしか transcribed dake shika in a negative sentence, essentially as an emphatic equivalent to しか alone. You might think of this as “(not) anything else but…” or something similar.
How to use ばかり [bakari]?
The particle ばかり transcribed bakari is used in several of the contexts where you might use the word “just” in English.
ばかり transcribed bakari can mean “only,” as in “it’s just a cat.”
ばかり transcribed bakari can be used to discuss recent past actions, as in “I just got here 10 minutes ago.”
Here, we’ll focus on how to use ばかり transcribed bakari as a limiter, like “only,” but check out our post on discussing back-to-back actions in Japanese to learn more about its use as a time marker!
We mostly use ばかり transcribed bakari in the following two instances:
When you want to differentiate or highlight one thing from a well-defined group of others, e.g. “only my mom cooks this well (nobody else)” or “only Mike’s car (and nobody else’s) is red.”
When something is exclusive to the point of excess. For instance, when someone eats the same meal over-and-over again and it seems like they do nothing else.
To differentiate one from the others
ばかり transcribed bakari can set off a noun or pronoun to differentiate it from other things in a particular group:
ばかり can also mark non-nouns, like verbs and adjectives, to differentiate one action or description from other possible actions or descriptions.
Exclusive to the point of excess
ばかり transcribed bakari can highlight a noun, a pronoun, or the te-form of a verb to indicate that the speaker thinks that limiting the highlighted thing is excessive. In this use, ばかり is not quite as literal, and is used like you might use phrases like “it seems like it just…,” or “you’d think that only…”
Let’s see some examples.
Where to place ばかり in a sentence
As you can see from the examples above, ばかり transcribed bakari, like other limiting particles, comes directly after the element it modifies. Here’s how it interacts with the case particles:
When setting off a noun phrase that ends with the case particles が transcribed ga or を transcribed o, ばかり can either replace them or come before them.
focus particlecase particleコンサートには若い人たちばかり (が) 来た。Transcription: Konsāto ni wa, wakai hitotachi bakari (ga) kita.Translation: Only young people came to the concert.安いので、毎日ラーメンばかり (を) 食べている。Transcription: Yasui node, mainichi rāmen bakari (o) tabeteiru.Translation: Since it’s cheap, I eat only ramen every day.When setting off noun phrases that end with a case particle such as に transcribed ni, へ transcribed e, で transcribed de, と transcribed to, or から transcribed kara, ばかり usually comes after the other particle.
focus particlecase particleパーティーでは友達とばかり話していた。Transcription: Pātii de wa tomodachi to bakari hanashiteita.Translation: At the party, I talked only with my friends.子どもたちは家の中でばかり遊んでいる。Transcription: Kodomo tachi wa ie no naka de bakari asondeiru.Translation: The children are playing only inside the house.
だけ [dake] vs. しか [shika] vs. ばかり [bakari]
Now that you’ve “met” all three of these words, let’s compare them! Here is a quick summary of how these three differ in meaning:
だけ transcribed dake means “only” in a neutral way. It expresses a limit, but the speaker isn’t necessarily expressing an opinion on that limit.
しか transcribed shika means “(not) anything but.” While it is only used in a negative sentence, it also doesn’t express much of an opinion on that limit.
ばかり transcribed bakari expresses something is happening so much that it’s happening to the exclusion of other things.
Let’s look at a few side-by-side comparisons so you can see these meaning differences as well as some grammatical differences.
What’s the difference between だけ [dake] and しか [shika]?
The difference between だけ transcribed dake and しか transcribed shika is very similar to the difference between “only X” and “(not) anything but X” in English:
だけ transcribed dake is used in sentences that focus on the presence of something:
会議室にはジョンさんだけいました。Transcription: Kaigishitsu ni wa Jon san dake imashita.Translation: Only John was in the conference room.John was there (to the exclusion of others).しか transcribed shika is used if you’re focusing on the absence of something, with an exception:
会議室にはジョンさんしかいませんでした。Transcription: Kaigishitsu ni wa Jon san shika imasendeshita.Translation: Nobody was in the conference room but John.Nobody was there (with John as an exception).
What’s the difference between だけ [dake] and ばかり [bakari]?
The distinction between だけ transcribed dake and ばかり transcribed bakari is a little trickier. You can think of the difference like this:
だけ transcribed dake → only X, and nothing else
ばかり transcribed bakari → there is a whole lot of X going on (even to the exclusion of other things)
So, だけ transcribed dake is more neutral, while ばかり transcribed bakari expresses that something is happening in excess. Let’s look at some examples to illustrate:
Often, the two will have the same literal translation, but the one you use will impact your understanding of how someone feels about what they’re saying:
兄弟3人の中で、いつも私だけ叱られる。Transcription: Kyōdai san-nin no naka de, itsumo watashi dake shikarareru.Translation: Among the three siblings, only I get scolded all the time.This states a simple fact.兄弟3人の中で、いつも私ばかり叱られる。Transcription: Kyōdai san-nin no naka de, itsumo watashi bakari shikarareru.Translation: Among the three siblings, only I get scolded all the time.This sounds like a complaint. I think the frequency with which I get scolded is excessive.Sometimes, it’s inappropriate to use ばかり transcribed bakari, because you’re discussing something that really can’t be understood as excessive.
❌ 昨日はトム君ばかり遊びに来た。Transcription: Kinō wa Tom kun bakari asobi ni kita.Translation: Intended: Only Tom came over to play yesterdayWe can’t use ばかり here, because there’s no real way having Tom come once is “excessive.”✅ 昨日はトム君だけ遊びに来た。Transcription: Kinō wa Tomu kun dake asobi ni kita.Translation: Only Tom came over to play yesterday.You can still use だけ in this context.However, sometimes a slight change to the context can make using ばかり transcribed bakari make more sense.
✅ うちにはいつもトム君ばかり遊びに来る。Transcription: Uchi ni wa itsumo Tomu kun bakari asobi ni kuru.Translation: It’s always only Tom who comes to our house to play.Here ばかり is allowed because it’s excessive that Tom is always the only one.We don’t generally use だけ transcribed dake to express that something is happening “a lot.” It’s a more literal “only” than ばかり transcribed bakari is:
❌ まだ新人なので、失敗だけしています。Transcription: Mada shinjin nanode, shippai dake shiteimasu.Translation: Because I’m still a rookie, I’m only making mistakes.This is only allowed if you literally do nothing else but make mistakes.✅ まだ新人なので、失敗ばかりしています。Transcription: Mada shinjin nanode, shippai bakari shiteimasu.Translation: Because I’m still a rookie, I’m making a lot of mistakes.We don’t generally use ばかり transcribed bakari with negative verbs, but you can use だけ transcribed dake in this context.
negative verbパーティーでは寿司だけ食べなかった。Transcription: Pātii de wa sushi dake tabenakatta.Translation: I only didn’t eat sushi.Implies I ate everything but sushi.❌ パーティーでは寿司ばかり食べなかった。Transcription: Pātii de wa sushi bakari tabenakatta.Translation: Intended: I only didn’t eat sushi.You can use ばかり transcribed bakari in a negative sentence, though, so long as it’s not part of a clause with a negative verb.
positive verbnegative clauseパーティーではすしばかり食べたわけではない。Transcription: Pātii de wa sushi bakari tabeta wake de wa nai.Translation: It’s not that I only ate sushi at the party.
To sum up
The chart below summarizes how to use だけ transcribed dake, しか transcribed shika, and ばかり transcribed bakari in Japanese:
| Particle | Verb Type(s) | Position |
|---|---|---|
だけ Transcription: dake Translation: only, just neutral | affirmative or negative |
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しか (〜ない) Transcription: shika (-nai) Translation: (not) anything but exception to a negative | negative only |
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ばかり Transcription: bakari Translation: (seems like) only… exclusion to excess | affirmative only |
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Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our だけ transcribed dake, しか transcribed shika, and ばかり transcribed bakari activities to test your skills! Happy learning!
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