Skip to content
JLPT N4Adverbs

ばかり— Nothing but / Only

Means 'nothing but [X]', implying an overwhelming, monotonous, or exclusive focus on one thing — often with a critical nuance.

Grammar path · 練習

Practice this in the path

A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 10 · ADVERBS

Structure · 形

[Noun] + ばかり | [Verb て-form] + ばかり + いる

Examples · 例文

  • 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).

Usage notes · 注意

  • 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).

Commonly confused with

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.

vsだけ

だけ is a neutral limit ('only 3 apples'); ばかり adds an emotional/critical 'nothing but' nuance about excess or monotony.

vsたばかり vs たところ

〜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).

vsしか〜ない

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.

More adverbs

Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki

Everything on this page, ready to study

  • 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio (N5 free)
  • 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
  • 445 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
  • Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio (N5 sets 1 and 2 free)