Means 'nothing but [X]', implying an overwhelming, monotonous, or exclusive focus on one thing — often with a critical nuance.
[Noun] + ばかり | [Verb て-form] + ばかり + いる
彼はゲームばかりしている。
Kare wa geemu bakari shite iru.
He does nothing but play games.
ゲームばかり = only games, nothing else.
甘いものばかり食べると、虫歯になるよ。
Amai mono bakari taberu to, mushiba ni naru yo.
If you eat nothing but sweets, you'll get cavities.
甘いものばかり食べる = exclusively eat sweets.
妹はマンガばかり読んで、勉強しません。
Imouto wa manga bakari yonde, benkyou shimasen.
My little sister reads nothing but manga and doesn't study.
マンガばかり読む = reads only manga (critical nuance).
• ばかり carries emotional judgment about an overwhelming/monotonous habit, not a neutral count. • 〜たばかり (past + ばかり) means 'just did (very recently)': 日本に来たばかり (I just arrived in Japan). • 〜てばかりいる = 'do nothing but ~' (泣いてばかりいる = does nothing but cry).
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ばかり is tested against.
だけ is a neutral limit ('only 3 apples'); ばかり adds an emotional/critical 'nothing but' nuance about excess or monotony.
〜たところ = 'just did it, at this exact moment'; 〜たばかり = 'did it recently' (can feel recent even hours/days later).
しか〜ない = 'only, nothing more' with a negative verb (これしかない); ばかり is a positive 'nothing but' focused on excess rather than scarcity.
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