The しか (shika) particle is an essential grammar point in Japanese that means “only” or “nothing but”. It is always used with a negative verb and emphasizes exclusivity or limitation—meaning something is the only option available, and nothing else. This makes it different from similar particles like だけ (dake) and ばかり (bakari).
Table of Contents
Only or Nothing But
しか limits the options and emphasizes that nothing else exists except for what is mentioned.
Structure:
[Noun] + しか + [Negative Verb]Examples:
私にはあなたしかいない。
(Watashi ni wa anata shika inai.)
"I have no one but you." (You're the only one for me.)
ここには水しかありません。
(Koko ni wa mizu shika arimasen.)
"There is nothing here except water."
私は日本語しか話せません。
(Watashi wa Nihongo shika hanasemasen.)
"I can only speak Japanese."しか must always be followed by a negative verb (e.g., いない, ない, できない). It strongly limits the choices—nothing else is included.
Verbs (No Other Choice)
しか is also frequently used with verbs to say that only a certain action is possible.
Examples:
仕事が多すぎて、寝るしかない。
(Shigoto ga oosugite, neru shika nai.)
"I have no choice but to sleep."
彼は遊んでばかりで、勉強するしかない！
(Kare wa asonde bakari de, benkyou suru shika nai!)
"He keeps playing, so he has no choice but to study!"Expresses a lack of alternatives or an inevitable action. Often used when the speaker must accept a certain outcome.
しか vs. だけ vs. ばかり
Japanese has several words that mean “only”, but they are used differently:
| Particle | Meaning | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| しか | “Only” (with a negative) | りんごしか食べない。 | Strong limitation (Excludes everything else) |
| だけ | “Only” (neutral) | りんごだけ食べる。 | Neutral limitation (No exclusion of other possibilities) |
| ばかり | “Nothing but” (excessive) | りんごばかり食べる。 | Emphasizes doing too much of something |
しか = Nothing else exists.
だけ = Simple restriction, but other things may still be possible.
ばかり = Overemphasis on doing something repeatedly.
Example sentence comparison:
パンしか食べない。
"I eat nothing but bread." (I refuse to eat anything else.)
パンだけ食べる。
"I only eat bread." (Maybe I’ll eat other things later.)
パンばかり食べる。
"I eat bread all the time." (Too much bread.)しか with Particles (に, で, へ, etc.)
しか can be combined with other particles like に (ni), で (de), へ (e), etc.
Examples:
日本にしか行ったことがない。
(Nihon ni shika itta koto ga nai.)
"I have only ever been to Japan."
1000円でしか買えない。
(Sen-en de shika kaenai.)
"You can only buy it for 1000 yen (nowhere else offers a different price)."
学校へしか行かない。
(Gakkou e shika ikanai.)
"I only go to school (I don't go anywhere else)."しか replaces particles like は, が, and を. However, it does not replace particles like に, で, or へ—they must be used together.
Common Expressions with しか
Here are some common ways to use しか in daily life:
やるしかない！
(Yaru shika nai!)
“There’s no choice but to do it!”✅ 行くしかない！
(Iku shika nai!)
→ “I have no choice but to go!”✅ 頑張るしかない！
(Ganbaru shika nai!)
→ “I have no choice but to try my best!”✅ 忘れるしかないね…
(Wasureru shika nai ne…)
→ “I guess we have no choice but to forget it…”
These phrases are often used to express determination or resignation.