たばかり — Just did (subjective recency)
Expresses that an action happened recently, judged from the SPEAKER'S subjective sense of time. 'Just' can mean seconds ago or even months ago, as long as it still feels new to the speaker.
Structure
[Verb た-form] + ばかり
Examples
さっき起きたばかりです。
Sakki okita bakari desu.
I just woke up (a moment ago).
literal recency
日本に来たばかりです。
Nihon ni kita bakari desu.
I've only just come to Japan (could be weeks ago).
psychological recency — still feels new
買ったばかりの時計が壊れた。
Katta bakari no tokei ga kowareta.
The watch I'd just bought broke.
noun-modifying: [た-form ばかり] + の + [noun]
• Subjective vs objective: たところ is the literal present moment, but たばかり depends on how you feel — you can say 結婚したばかり ('just got married') even six months later. • Modifying nouns: use 〜たばかりの to describe just-finished things, e.g. 買ったばかりの車 (a car just bought), 焼いたばかりのパン (bread just baked). • Contrast with 〜たところ for the 'literal snapshot' just-finished meaning.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones たばかり is tested against.
vs たところ
たところ = objectively, at this very second, just finished. たばかり = subjectively recent; it can be a while ago as long as it still feels new.
vs 〜ている (result state)
ている states an ongoing result/condition. たばかり emphasizes that the action was completed only recently (freshness in time).
More time expressions
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