The ばかり (bakari) particle is a highly versatile and frequently used word in Japanese. It generally conveys the meanings of “only,” “just,” or “nothing but”, and can be used in various contexts, including time, quantity, and excessiveness. Understanding how to use ばかり correctly will make your Japanese sound much more natural.
Table of Contents
Expressing “Only” or “Just” (Recent Actions or Time)
When ばかり is used after the past tense of a verb, it means that something just happened or was just done recently.
Structure:
[Verb (past tense)] + ばかりExamples:
日本に来たばかりです。
(Nihon ni kita bakari desu.)
"I just came to Japan."
彼はご飯を食べたばかりです。
(Kare wa gohan o tabeta bakari desu.)
"He just ate."Key Point:
Even though the action is in the past tense, ばかり does not always mean it’s completely finished. It simply emphasizes that the action happened very recently from the speaker’s perspective.
Expressing “Only” or “Nothing But” (Excessiveness)
When ばかり is used after a noun or verb, it means “nothing but” or that something happens excessively.
Structure:
[Noun] + ばかり
[Verb (て-form)] + ばかりExamples:
彼はゲームばかりしている。
(Kare wa geemu bakari shite iru.)
"He's doing nothing but playing games."
甘いものばかり食べてはいけませんよ！
(Amai mono bakari tabete wa ikemasen yo!)
"You shouldn't eat only sweets!"
彼女は文句ばかり言う。
(Kanojo wa monku bakari iu.)
"She does nothing but complain."This usage of ばかり often has a negative nuance and implies an excess of something
Expressing Approximation (“About” / “Around”)
In casual conversation, ばかり can also mean “about” or “approximately”, similar to くらい (kurai) / ぐらい (gurai).
Structure:
[Quantity / Amount] + ばかりExamples:
1時間ばかり待ちました。
(Ichi-jikan bakari machimashita.)
"I waited for about an hour."
10人ばかり来ると思います。
(Juu-nin bakari kuru to omoimasu.)
"I think about 10 people will come."This use is less common than くらい, but still useful in everyday speech.
Expressing a Natural Consequence (“Just Because”)
ばかり can also indicate that something leads to an inevitable consequence.
Structure:
[Verb (dictionary form)] + ばかりだExamples:
仕事が増えて、ストレスがたまるばかりだ。
(Shigoto ga fuete, sutoresu ga tamaru bakari da.)
"My workload is increasing, and my stress is just building up."
天気が悪くなるばかりです。
(Tenki ga waruku naru bakari desu.)
"The weather is only getting worse."This structure is often used to show negative results that are continuing.
ばかり vs. だけ vs. しか
Japanese has several ways to say “only”, and each one has a slightly different nuance.
| Particle | Meaning | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ばかり | “Only” / “Nothing but” | 甘いものばかり食べる。 | Excessive feeling (implies doing too much) |
| だけ | “Only” | 水だけ飲む。 | Neutral feeling (stating a fact) |
| しか | “Only” (with negation) | 水しか飲まない。 | Stronger restriction (implies “nothing else”) |