also: ばっかり
particle
Attaches to nouns, verbs, and adjectives to express limitation: 'only X', 'nothing but X'. Often implies a sense of exclusivity or that the amount is small.
彼は甘いものばかり食べている。
He eats nothing but sweets.
この店には高いものばかりある。
This shop has only expensive things.
particle
Follows a quantity or time expression to mean 'about', 'approximately'. Often used with numbers or counters.
駅まで歩いて十分ばかりかかる。
It takes about ten minutes to walk to the station.
コップに半分ばかり水を入れてください。
Please fill the glass about halfway with water.
particle
just (did something); have just
Follows the past tense (ta-form) of a verb to indicate an action has just been completed. Often used with ところ.
今、家に帰ったばかりです。
I just got home now.
この本は買ったばかりで、まだ読んでいない。
I just bought this book and haven't read it yet.
particle
as if to; about to; on the verge of
Follows the dictionary form or the negative auxiliary ぬ (ん) to mean 'as if to do', 'on the point of doing'. Often used in the pattern …とばかりに or …んばかりに. Literary or emphatic.
See also: 言わんばかり (いわんばかり)
彼女は泣き出さんばかりの顔で私を見た。
She looked at me with a face as if she were about to burst into tears.
particle
Used in the pattern …とばかり(に) to emphasize the manner or attitude of an action, often implying 'as if to say' or 'in a way that clearly shows'. Can be translated as 'emphatically', 'as much as to say'.
彼は「当然だ」とばかりにうなずいた。
He nodded emphatically, as if to say 'of course'.
particle
always; constantly; all the time
Attaches to verbs to indicate a habitual or continuous action, often with a negative connotation of doing nothing but that. Similar to 'always doing' or 'spending all one's time doing'.
彼は文句ばかり言っている。
He's always complaining.
遊んでばかりいないで、勉強しなさい。
Stop playing all the time and study.
彼は「もうたくさんだ」とばかりに部屋を出て行った。
He left the room as if to say 'I've had enough'.
Rare kanji form; not used in modern writing.
Rare kanji form; not used in modern writing.
だけ is a neutral limiter meaning 'only' or 'just', without the nuance of exclusivity or negative connotation that ばかり often carries. ばかり can imply 'nothing but' or 'constantly', while だけ simply states a limit.
しか is used with a negative verb to mean 'only' or 'nothing but', emphasizing insufficiency. ばかり can be used in positive sentences and often implies 'all the time' or 'nothing but' with a different nuance.
Derived from the noun 許り (bakari), originally meaning 'limit' or 'extent'. The particle usage developed from this noun, and the kanji forms are now rare. The colloquial variant ばっかり is an emphatic form.