Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 7: 1/13

だけOnly, Just

Structure

Verb + だけ
［い］Adjective + だけ
［な］Adjective + な + だけ
Noun + だけ

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Particle

  • Word Type

    Adverbial Particle

  • Register

    Standard

About だけ

だけ is used in Japanese in a similar way to 'only' or 'just' in English. The basic meaning of this word is that 'while there are/were several possibilities, only (A) is true/was chosen'. だけ is used by attaching it to the base (dictionary) form of any word, except for な-Adjectives, which require な when being used adjectivally.

Due to な-Adjectives being able to be used as either a noun or an adjective, the meaning of a sentence will be different depending on whether だけ is used with the noun form, or the adjective form.

Basically this difference just highlights whether something is being discussed in a measurable way (an adjective), or an immeasurable way (a noun).

Examples

--:--

    一人(ひとり)だけです。

    Only one person.

    それだけです。

    Only that.

    サッカーだけが好(す)き。

    I only like soccer.

    私(わたし)だけ行(い)きます。

    Only I am going.

    その映画(えいが)は長(なが)いだけ。

    That movie is just long.

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        • みんなの日本語 I

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        • [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

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        • Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai

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        • Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide

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      だけ – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (18 in total)

      • Pablunpro

        Pablunpro

        Hi!

        I take this chance to reiterate this request, i.e. to add のみ as a fun fact to this grammar point. In fact, のみ appears indirectly in this grammar point: のみならず.

        Thank you very much for your consideration.

        よい週末を

      • Kasasagi

        Kasasagi

        You may already have an answer for this, but my understanding is as follows:

        1. 彼女は綺麗なだけだ。

        2. 彼女は綺麗だけだ。

        3. is grammatically correct. 2) is grammatically incorrect.
          I suspect that in a negative sentence, omitting the “な” is probably grammatically incorrect, but has become common usage, and therefore most Japanese people wouldn’t think of it as incorrect.

      • Kasasagi

        Kasasagi

        I’m kinda late to the party, but interpreting 彼女は綺麗な だけ だ。as “she is only beautiful” would help avoid that “intensifying” nuance in English.

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