Grammar Info
N4 Lesson 9: 14/15

~たばかり
just did, something just happened

ばっかり, ばっか, ばかし, and ばっかし are all fairly common casual variations of ばかり

Structure
Verb[た]+ ばかり
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
許り
Information
As a 副助詞(ふくじょし) (adverbial particle), ばかり usually has one of three basic meanings.
程度(ていど) - Highlights the ‘rough’ amount/degree of something (similar to くらい).
限定(げんてい) - Highlights the ‘limit’ of something (similar to だけ).
完了(かんりょう) - Highlights the ‘end’, or ‘completion’ of something.
In this lesson, we will focus primarily on the 完了(かんりょう) meaning. When connecting ばかり to the past form of a verb (using た), it will imply that a specific action has ‘just finished’, ‘just stopped’, or ‘just been completed’.
  • 駅(えき)に着(つ)いたばかりに友達(ともだち)から「やっぱり今日(きょう)遊(あそ)ないメッセージ来(き)
    Just as I got to the station, I got a message from my friend saying, ‘Actually, I can't hang out today’.
  • 一回(いっかい)遅(おく)れたばかり先生(せんせい)に怒(おこ)られ
    I got scolded by my teacher for being late just once.
  • さっき食(た)べたばかりから、お腹(なか)まだ空(す)いていない
    I just ate earlier, so I am still not hungry.
Fun Fact
Despite having three different meanings, ばかり can be thought of as always highlighting how close one thing is to another.
程度(ていど) - Highlights (A)’s degree of closeness (to a stated amount).
限定(げんてい) - Highlights (A)’s degree of closeness (to a description).
完了(かんりょう) - Highlights (A)’s degree of closeness (to a point in time).
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今(いま)家(いえ)出(で)たばかりです
I just left home.
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電車(でんしゃ)乗(の)ったばかり携帯(けいたい)落(お)とした
Just when I got on the train, I dropped my phone.
ユミ彼氏(かれし)出来(でき)た聞(き)いたばかり
I just heard that Yumi got a boyfriend.
Books
Tobira
Page 95
みんなの日本語 II
Page 132 [CH 46]
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 84
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 288
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 13