Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 6: 13/24

だけしか～ない

To emphasize '~only', Nothing but

Can express pity

Structure

Noun + だけしか + ない

Details

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    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About だけしか

だけしか is a combination of two adverbial particles, だけ 'only', and しか 'nothing but'. This structure primarily follows nouns, before part (B) of the sentence will have a corresponding ない based word.
  • 彼(かれ)は野菜(やさい)だけしか食(た)べられません。
    He can only eat vegetables.
  • 土曜日(どようび)だけしか忙(いそが)しくないから、出来(でき)たら土曜日(どようび)じゃないほうがいい。
    I am not busy except for Saturdays, so if possible it would be better if it wasn't a Saturday.
  • この中(なか)ではタケシだけしか下手(へた)じゃない。他(ほか)はみんな結構(けっこう)うまい。
    In this group, Takeshi is the only one that isn't good. Everyone else is considerably skilled.
  • 何(なん)でこのコップだけしか500円(えん)ではないの？
    Why is this cup the only one that is 500yen?
Despite all of these possibilities, it should be noted that だけしか～ない is an expression that appears with negative verbs, far more than any of the other combinations.
  • 私(わたし)は日本語(にほんご)だけしか話(はな)せないです。
    I can only speak Japanese.
Fun Fact
だけしか may appear as though it is saying 'only' twice, but each particle has its own specific nuance. These nuances are as follows:
だけ - Removes one thing (from within a group), and presents it as the 'only' thing that fits a certain criteria.
しか - Highlights something that exists by itself as not having any alternatives.
Due to this, each meaning compounds together, with だけ saying 'just this', while しか adds 'and only this!'. Reversing the order and putting しか before だけ would not work, as the sequence of selection needs to be logical.
  • 日曜日(にちようび)しかだけ休(やすみ)みが取(と)れない。
    I can take only breaks on Sunday. (Unnatural Japanese)
  • 日曜日(にちようび)だけしか休(やす)みが取(と)れない。
    I can only take breaks on Sunday. (Natural Japanese)

Examples

  • この時間(じかん)、医師(いし)は一人(ひとり)だけしかいません。

    At this time of day, there is only one doctor present.

  • 椅子(いす)はここにあるものだけしかありません。

    Chairs are the only things here.

  • 私(わたし)には従兄弟(いとこ)が一人(ひとり)だけしかいません。

    I only have one cousin.

  • 僕(ぼく)は日本語(にほんご)だけしかできません。

    I can only speak Japanese.

  • 現金(げんきん)は今(いま)1000円(えん)だけしかありません。

    I only have 1000 yen in cash.

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だけしか – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (8 in total)

  • BambooCake

    BambooCake

    About 1 year ago

    I was just about to create an issue about that! I agree, I’m thoroughly confused by the examples. To me, the example sentences you listed are polar opposites of the other ones on that page.

    Not only that, but deepl.com and Google translate seem to be confused about the meaning, as well (and they work usually quite well, even for more complex phrases, especially deepl.com). Both translate “...

  • ResFort

    ResFort

    About 10 months ago

    I immediately came here to see if someone had asked about this, and your reply took the words out of my mouth, as I had also used other translators out there to double check and that got me utterly confused.
    It’s a shame there has been no answer to this riddle so far…

    If 「土曜日だけしか忙しくない」 means “only Saturdays aren’t busy”, how would you say “only Saturdays are busy” with the しか～ない structure?

  • meagstudies

    meagstudies

    About 7 months ago

    I came to this thread wondering the same thing as everyone else in this thread re: negative vs positive interpretations. I would have thought the sentences would be “only Takeshi is good at” or “only Saturdays are busy” or “the only one that is 500yen.”

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