～だけ
dake
Only; just
N5JLPT
Formation 接続
N / plain verb clause / quantity+だけ
Full formation notes
N / plain verb clause / quantity + だけ
Explanation 説明
Limits a statement to the named amount, action or item. Unlike しか, it does not require a negative predicate.
Examples 例文
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あの子は食べるだけで、何もしないです。
That child only eats and does nothing else.
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あの人だけ信じる
I trust only that person.
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ひとつだけえらんでください
Please choose just one.
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中国人が漢字を使うだけでなく、日本人も漢字を使います
Not only Chinese people but also Japanese people use Chinese characters.
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日本語の文字は漢字だけでなく、ひらがなとカタカナです
Japanese writing consists not only of kanji but also hiragana and katakana.
How related patterns differ 比較
だけ limits an item or action and can occur affirmatively. しか pairs with a negative. ほかない can emphasize having no alternative. にすぎない evaluates something as no more than a limit rather than necessarily imposing an obligation.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ～だけ | Only; just | あの子は食べるだけで、何もしないです。 That child only eats and does nothing else. |
| ～にすぎない | no more than; just; merely; only~ Emphasizes the low level of something in terms of quality or quantity | これは資料の一部にすぎない。 This is merely part of the documents. |
| ～よりほかない | Have no choice but to | 終電が終わったので、タクシーで帰るよりほかありません。 The last train has gone, so I have no choice but to take a taxi home. |
| ～しか～ない、 〜ほかない | Only; have no choice but to | 今、300円しか持っていません。少ないです。 I only have three hundred yen now. That is not much. |
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