<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>は<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='136'>スマホ</span>をちらりと見（み）た<strong>ばかりに</strong>、事故（じこ）を起（お）こしたんだ。<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1010'>運転（うんてん）</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='138'>する</span>ときは<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='750'>注意（ちゅうい）</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='127'>が必要（ひつよう）</span>だ。

恋人（こいびと）に会（あ）いたい<strong>ばかりに</strong>、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='24'>インド</span>ネシアに<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='633'>旅行（りょこう）</span>した。

ある<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='339'>作家（さっか）</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='6'>の</span>サイン<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='91'>ほしい</span><strong>ばかりに</strong>、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='339'>作家（さっか）</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>普段（ふだん）、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='493'>どう</span>いった<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1613'>行動（こうどう）</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>とっているか<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>調（しら）べ<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='895'>た</span>。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='30' data-vocab-id='91'>この</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1092'>鳥（とり）</span>は孵化（ふか）したあと弱（よわ）かった<strong>ばかりに</strong>、親（おや）に見放（みはな）されたんだ。自然界（しぜんかい）は<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='24' data-vocab-id='581'>怖（こわ）い</span>...ね？

おとなし<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='141'>そう</span>に見（み）えた<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='789'>犬（いぬ）</span>の<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1065'>頭（あたま）</span>を撫（な）でた<strong>ばかりに</strong>噛（か）まれたんだ。<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='72' data-vocab-id='224'>まだ</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='598'>手（て）</span>が<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='818'>痛（いた）い</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='78'>よ</span>。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='849'>私（わたし）</span>があんなことを言（い）ってしまった<strong>ばかりに</strong>、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>はひどく落（お）ち込（こ）んでしまいました。

タコマナローズ<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='710'>橋（はし）</span>は<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='24' data-vocab-id='561'>強（つよ）い</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1070'>風（かぜ）</span>だった<strong>ばかりに</strong>、崩壊（ほうかい）した。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>は驚（おどろ）かされた<strong>ばかりに</strong>、気（き）を失（うしな）ってしまった。

父親（ちちおや）がたまにしか<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='511'>家（いえ）</span>にいない<strong>ばかりに</strong>親子（おやこ）<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='1039'>関係（かんけい）</span>が冷（つめ）たく<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='594'>なる</span>ことがある。

良（い）いリーダーがいなかった<strong>ばかりに</strong>、チームは<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='954'>試合（しあい）</span>に負（ま）けた。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='970'>財布（さいふ）</span>を忘（わす）れた<strong>ばかりに</strong>、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='44'>お弁当（べんとう）</span>を買（か）えなかった。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='817'>病院（びょういん）</span>に行（い）かなくてはいけなかった<strong>ばかりに</strong>、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='954'>試合（しあい）</span>に参加（さんか）できなかった。

Expressing something done in the past that incurs a bad result

<div class='writeup-body'>When paired with the <span class='info-highlight' data-term='格助詞・かくじょし'>case marking particle</span> <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='32'>に</span>, 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.<br>To use <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>, simply attach the expression to the end of any word in its <span class='info-highlight' data-term='連体形・れんたいけい'>attributive form</span>.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>ボール<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>キャッチした<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、肩（かた）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>外（はず）れました。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Simply because I caught a ball, I dislocated my shoulders.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>体（からだ）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>小（ちい）さい<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、クラスメイト<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='32'>に</span>いじめられた。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Simply because I am small, my classmates bullied me.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>彼（かれ）は練習（れんしゅう）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>大変（たいへん）な<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、部活（ぶかつ）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>やめる<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='98'>こと</span>にした。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Simply because practice was difficult, he decided to quit.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>新人（しんじん）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='436'>である</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、先輩（せんぱい）たち<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>やり<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='59'>た</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='873'>くない</span>仕事（しごと）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>押（お）し付（つ）けられた。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Simply because I am new, my senpai made me do all the work they didn't want to.</div></li></ul>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.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>釣（つ）り<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='31'>に行（い）き</span>たい<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、仕事（しごと）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>休（やす）んで海（うみ）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='31'>に行（い）った</span>。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Simply because he wanted to go fish, he took a day off of work and went to the ocean.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>新（あたら）しい車（こと）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='91'>が欲（ほ）しい</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、貯金（ちょきん）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>全部（ぜんぶ）使（つか）った。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Just because I wanted a new car, I used all my savings.</div></li></ul><div class='writeup-funfact'><div class='funfact-header'>Fun Fact</div>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.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>貰（もら）った肉（にく）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>食（た）べた<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='242'>ばかりに</span>、お腹（なか）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>壊（こわ）し<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='172'>てしま</span>った。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Even just with eating the meat that was given to me, I got a stomach ache.</div></li></ul></div><div class='writeup-funfact'><div class='funfact-header'>Fun Fact</div>The kanji that is used most frequently for ばかり is the same kanji that is used for 許（ゆる）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.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>今回（こんかい）は許（ゆる）す<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='361'>けど</span>、<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='623'>また</span>やっ<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='102'>たら</span>許（ゆる）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='888'>さない</span>から<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='71'>ね。</span></div><div class='writeup-example--english'>I will forgive you this time, but I will not forgive you if you do it again.</div></li></ul></div></div>

Grammar Info

ばかりに

simply because, only because, just because, simply on account of