しか～ないThere's only, Nothing but

だけ conveys 'only' or 'just.' しか～ない combines the particle しか with a negative verb to express 'nothing but.' While the two have similar meanings, their structures differ. For example, the equivalent of バナナだけ食べた ('I ate only a banana') would be バナナしか食べなかった ('I ate nothing but a banana'). Compared to だけ, しか～ない emphasizes the limitation or lack of other options more strongly.

しか～ない expresses the meaning of 'only' or 'nothing but'. For example, バナナしか食べなかった ('I only ate a banana', or literally 'I didn't eat anything but a banana.'). When used with numbers in the Number + しか〜ない pattern, it emphasizes that the quantity is small, e.g., ５人しか来なかった ('Only 5 people came.', or literally 'No one came but five people.').

しか～ない and にほかならない are similar in that both can be translated as 'nothing but' or 'only', but with a different nuance. しか～ない means 'nothing but' in the sense of 'nothing else exists', e.g. １００円しかない ('I only have 100 yen.'). In contrast, にほかならない means 'nothing but' in the sense of 'simply' or 'definitely', e.g. 彼は犯罪者に他ならない ('He's simply / nothing but a criminal.').

ばかり and しか～ない can both mean 'only' or 'nothing but', but their usage and nuance differ. ばかり is used with affirmative verb forms and can imply excess. For example, 漫画ばかり読む 'to read only manga' has a sense of reading manga all the time. In contrast, しか～ない is used with negative verbs and expresses 'nothing but' in a more objective sense. For example, 漫画しか読まない simply states that nothing else is read.

だらけ and しか～ない are used differently and express contrasting meanings. だらけ follows nouns and expresses the idea of 'covered with' or 'full of', e.g. 泥だらけ 'covered in mud'. In contrast, しか～ない is used with a noun and negative verb to mean 'only' or 'nothing but', e.g. １００円しかない ('I have only 100 yen.'). They are similar in that both can often carry a negative or undesirable nuance.

きり and しか～ない can both express the idea of 'only,' but in different ways. きり is used primarily with number+counter expressions, like 一度きり 'only one time' or 二人きり 'only/just the two of us'. In contrast, しか～ない is used with a noun and negative verb to mean 'only' or 'nothing but', e.g. １００円しかない ('I have only 100 yen.'). In some cases, the two can be used together, e.g. 一度きりしか行っていない ('I only went just the once.').

だけしか is essentially an emphatic version of しか～ない, combining だけ 'only' and しか～ない 'nothing but' to strongly emphasize that there is nothing else. For example, １００円だけしかない ('I only have / have nothing but 100 yen.) is a more emphatic version of 100円しかない (same meaning), and 日本語だけしか話せない ('I can only speak / can speak nothing but Japanese.') is a more emphatic version of 日本語しか話せない (same meaning).

を余儀なくされる and しかない are similar in that both express having no choice but to do something, though their usage differs. を余儀なくされる follows nouns and has a nuance of being forced by circumstances, e.g. 中止を余儀なくされる 'be forced to cancel.' In contrast, しかない follows verbs and focuses on lack of choice rather than external pressure, e.g. 行くしかない ('There's no choice but to go.').

しか～ない uses the particle しか and a verb in the negative (ない) form to convey the idea of 'only' (literally, 'nothing but'), e.g. １００円しかない ('I only have / have nothing but 100 yen.') and バナナしか食べなかった ('I only ate / ate nothing but a banana.'). でしかない is a version of this using a form of だ・です 'is', and means 'it is only' or 'it's nothing but', e.g. ゴミでしかない ('It's nothing but garbage.').

When used with a noun and a negative verb, しか～ない expresses the idea of 'only' (literally, 'nothing but'), e.g. １００円しかない ('I only have / have nothing but 100 yen.') and バナナしか食べなかった ('I only ate / ate nothing but a banana.'). When used at the end of a sentence following a verb in the affirmative form, しかない has the related meaning of 'there's no choice but to do (A)', e.g. 行くしかない ('I have no choice but to go.').

Both convey the idea of 'nothing but,' but with different nuances. をおいてほかに～ない almost always has a positive nuance, suggesting that the thing in question is the only one that possesses some good quality, e.g. 日本語を学ぶなら文プロをおいてほかにない ('If you want to learn Japanese, there's nothing but Bunpro.'). In contrast, しか～ない emphasizes lack and is often used with a negative nuance, e.g. １００円しかない ('I only have 100 yen.').