～だけに — All the More Because
Expresses that precisely because of a certain fact or situation, the result is all the more so — 'being the case that…, especially / all the more.' It highlights that the cause makes the outcome particularly strong, expected, or fitting.
Structure
[Noun (+ である)] / [Verb/Adj plain] + だけに
Examples
彼はプロだけに、演奏が素晴らしい。
Kare wa puro dake ni, ensou ga subarashii.
Precisely because he's a professional, his performance is superb.
プロだけに = being a pro, all the more is the performance excellent
期待していただけに、負けたときの失望は大きかった。
Kitai shite ita dake ni, maketa toki no shitsubou wa ookikatta.
Precisely because I had high hopes, the disappointment when they lost was great.
期待していただけに = because of the expectation, the letdown was all the greater
受験生だけに、彼女は毎日必死で勉強している。
Jukensei dake ni, kanojo wa mainichi hisshi de benkyou shite iru.
Being an exam candidate, she studies desperately every day.
受験生だけに = precisely because she's an exam-taker, she studies all the harder
• Emphasizes an intensified result that fits the cause 'all the more.' • Can express results that exceed expectations (both good and bad). • だけあって is similar but tends to state an admirable/fitting result.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～だけに is tested against.
vs ～だけあって
だけあって praises a result that lives up to a cause ('as expected of'); だけに more broadly stresses 'all the more so because,' including negative outcomes like greater disappointment.
vs ～から
から gives a plain reason; だけに adds the nuance that the outcome is intensified 'all the more' precisely because of that reason.
More cause & effect
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