Structure
Verb［た］+ ばかりに
［い］Adjective + ばかりに
［な］Adjective + な(1) + ばかりに
Noun + な(1) + ばかりに
(1) である
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Standard
About ばかりに
When paired with the case marking particle に, ばかり regularly conveys the meaning of 'simply because', or 'just because'. Literally, this expression means that 'even with just (A), (B) is/was able to occur'. This phrase is regularly paired with the past form of verbs, indicating that something that has already taken place, led to some other result.
To use ばかりに, simply attach the expression to the end of any word in its attributive form.
It should be noted that this particular grammar pattern has a strong tendency to be used with results that are negative. However, this is not a requirement. A high level of eagerness/enthusiasm can also be expressed when paired with grammar points like たい, or ほしい.
Fun Fact
As we mention in our ばかり grammar point, one of the more common kanji that ばかり stems from is '許', which means to be 'let off' or 'let through'. It implies a minimum amount of something that is then deemed as 'permissible'. This nuance is kept in ばかりに, as the (A) part of the sentence is being highlighted as that minimum extent of something for which the (often surprising) result of (B) is/was possible. Due to this, translations such as 'even with only/just (A), (B)' are quite similar to ばかりに, so long as it is clear that (A) is surprising.
- 貰った肉を食べたばかりに、お腹を壊してしまった。Even just with eating the meat that was given to me, I got a stomach ache.
Fun Fact
The kanji that is used most frequently for ばかり is the same kanji that is used for 許す 'to forgive'. In this particular use of 許, it still means 'to let off', or 'to let through', as 'to forgive' quite often has the nuance of letting something through/pass/slide.
- 今回は許すけど、またやったら許さないからね。I will forgive you this time, but I will not forgive you if you do it again.
Synonyms
Examples
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財布を忘れたばかりに、お弁当を買えなかった。
Simply because I have forgotten my wallet, I couldn't buy a bento.
彼は驚かされたばかりに、気を失ってしまった。
He passed out simply because he got surprised.
恋人に会いたいばかりに、インドネシアに旅行した。
Simply because I wanted to see my significant other, I traveled all the way to Indonesia.
良いリーダーがいなかったばかりに、チームは試合に負けた。
Just because they didn't have a good leader, the team lost the match.
点検を怠っていたばかりに、タコマナローズ橋は崩壊した。
Just because of negligence in inspections, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge crumbled.
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Expressing something done in the past that incurs a bad result
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ばかりに – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (5 in total)
vn888
Does this grammar only use with verb[た]? I’ve seen in question this combined with verb[ない].
dokidokiwakuwaku
Does this grammar point require に? I think I have seen ばかりで used on some occasions.
Triscuit1113
“Noun + な(1) + ばかりに”
Is this a typo? I don’t recall ever using a noun + な in any other grammar. I also don’t see it used in any of the example sentences. の would be correct, right? 例えば、「田中さんの引退のばかりに、仕事場での友達は全然いなくなりませんでした。」ほかのありそうな間違いを除いて、これはわりと正解でしょうか？
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