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Japanese grammar reference by JLPT level

Browse 862 individual explanations and 50 guides that compare related forms in context.

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ばかりOnly/nothing but; aboutN3

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だけ・しか～ない・ばかり・きり・のみ・にすぎない・でしかないChoice guide

Choosing the right way to say “only”For an ordinary neutral limit, start with だけ. Choose another form only when you want to add something: exclusion through a negative sentence, a noticeable concentration, a firm exact boundary, formal institutional tone, or the judgment that something is “merely” what you have stated.7 points · N5–N4–N3–N2

たばかり・ばかり・てばかりいる・るばかりだ・ばかりにForm family

Five patterns built around the same formDo not try to translate ばかり with one English word. First look immediately before it: a noun or quantity, a verb in its て-form, past form, or dictionary form points toward a different construction. Then check what follows. That formation-first check separates concentration, repeated behavior, recent completion, continuing change, and a regrettable cause.5 points · N4–N3

おかげで・せいで・ばかりに・あまりChoice guide

Good, bad, and emotionally charged causesThese forms do more than connect a cause to a result. Choose おかげ to give credit, せい to assign blame, ばかりに to single out one regrettable cause, and causal あまり when an overwhelming degree produces a striking result.4 points · N3–N2

だけでなく・はもちろん・のみならず・ばかりか・上うえに・に加くわえて・はおろか・もさることながらRegister guide

Choosing among ways to say “not only”The best choice depends less on the English words “not only” than on the relationship between A and B. Ask whether B is simply another fact, an extension beyond an obvious baseline, a stronger surprise, an added factor, or the main point you want to spotlight. Register then narrows the choice further.10 points · N4–N3–N2–N1

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Results for “ばかり”

11 grammar points