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N3

ばかり

Just, Only, Nothing but

最近さいきんはお菓子かしばかり食たべているから、お腹なかがでてきた。

Recently, I've been eating nothing but sweets, so my stomach is bulging out.

Explanation

「ばかり」 means 'nothing but, all the time'. Too much of one kind of thing, often with criticism, dissatisfaction or worry: 「漫画ばかり読んでいないで、勉強しなさい」 (Stop reading only manga and study), 「この店はお客さんが女性ばかりだ」 (The customers in this shop are all women). 「~てばかりいる」 is doing only one thing all day: 「遊んでばかりいる」 (does nothing but play).

Mixed up with

「だけ」 limits the range neutrally: 「一人だけ来た」 (Only one person came).

「しか~ない」 feels it is too little: 「100円しかない」 (I only have 100 yen).

「ばかり」 is too much of the same thing: 「遊んでばかり」.

After a noun, 「が」 and 「を」 are often dropped in speech.

Examples

  1. 彼かれは毎日まいにち残業ざんぎょうしてばかりで、全然ぜんぜん家いえのことを手伝てつだってくれない。

    All he does is work overtime everyday, and he won't help me with house chores.

  2. 先生せんせいはいつも怒おこってばかりいる。

    Our teacher does nothing but get angry.

  3. 先月せんげつ生うまれた息子むすこがずっと泣ないてばかりいて、全然ぜんぜん寝ねれない。

    My son who was born last month does nothing but cry, so I can't sleep.

Tested 5 times in past papers

N2 · Dec 2023, Q46N3 · Dec 2021, Q50N2 · Dec 2017, Q37N2 · Dec 2012, Q34N2 · Jul 2010, Q47