～ばかりか — Not Only, But Even
Means 'not only X, but even Y,' where Y is often something surprising, extreme, or beyond expectation. It adds a second, stronger element to the first. The second clause frequently includes words like も or さえ for extra emphasis. It has a slightly literary, emphatic flavor.
Structure
[Plain form] + ばかりか / [な-adj な／である] + ばかりか / [Noun] + ばかりか
Examples
彼は英語ばかりか、フランス語も話せる。
Kare wa eigo bakari ka, furansugo mo hanaseru.
He can speak not only English, but even French.
ばかりか adds French as a further, surprising ability
その店は高いばかりか、サービスも悪い。
Sono mise wa takai bakari ka, saabisu mo warui.
That shop is not only expensive, but the service is bad too.
ばかりか stacks a second negative point on the first
彼女は助けてくれないばかりか、笑っていた。
Kanojo wa tasukete kurenai bakari ka, waratte ita.
Not only did she not help me, she was even laughing.
ばかりか escalates to something worse/unexpected
• Register: emphatic and somewhat literary; slightly stronger than ばかりでなく. • The second clause often includes も/さえ for reinforcement. • The added element usually exceeds expectation (better OR worse).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～ばかりか is tested against.
vs ～ばかりでなく
ばかりでなく is a neutral 'not only...but also'; ばかりか adds a nuance of surprise or that the second item is even more extreme.
vs ～だけでなく
だけでなく is the most neutral/common 'not only'; ばかりか is more emphatic and literary.
More emphasis
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki
Everything on this page, free to browse
- 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio
- 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
- 444 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
- Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio
Get the Android app