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JLPT N4Expressions

だけで— Just by doing / With just

Expresses that a result comes from only one action or condition. "Just by X" or "with only X." Emphasizes that minimal effort or a single condition is sufficient.

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Pro lessonUNIT 11 · EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Verb plain / Noun] + だけで

Examples · 例文

  • 名前を書くだけで応募できます。

    Namae o kaku dake de ōbo dekimasu.

    You can apply just by writing your name.

    書くだけで = just by writing

  • 見るだけで買いません。

    Miru dake de kaimasen.

    I'm just looking, not buying.

    見るだけ (just looking) + で = with just that

  • 想像するだけで楽しくなる。

    Sōzō suru dake de tanoshiku naru.

    Just imagining it makes me happy.

    想像するだけで = with just the act of imagining

Usage notes · 注意

  • Key Concept: だけで (by just doing) vs しか〜ない (only, exclusive): both limit, but from different perspectives.
  • Detail: だけで emphasizes sufficiency of one action;
  • Detail: しか〜ない emphasizes that nothing else is available.
  • Common in store situations: 見るだけです (just browsing).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones だけで is tested against.

vsだけ (only, standalone)

Plain だけ simply marks a limit ("only this"). だけで adds the で of means/cause, so it stresses that that single thing is ENOUGH to produce a result: 見るだけ = just looking; 見るだけで分かる = you can tell just by looking.

vsしか〜ない (nothing but)

しか〜ない always takes a negative verb and stresses scarcity ("there is nothing else"). だけで is positive and stresses sufficiency ("this alone is enough").

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