しか～ないThere's only, Nothing but

使い方・接続

Noun + しか + Verb［ない］

詳細

使用域
一般

「しか～ない」の情報

The adverbial particle しか is often compared to だけ, in that it also expresses 'only'. However, unlike だけ, しか can only be used in negative statements. Due to this, しか～ない is regularly translated as 'there's only (A)', or 'there's nothing but (A)'. しか～ない may be used to express numbers, or nouns. In this lesson we will examine nouns.

Like しか～ない, the construction used for expressing numbers, when used before a noun, this expression will mean that nothing apart from that one 'thing' exists. Any verb may be used after しか, but it must be in its ない (or ありません) form.

Caution

When しかない directly follows a verb, the translation is a little bit different, and means that 'nothing apart from (A) can be done'. This is a separate grammar point that we will study a bit later.

例文

--:--

座(すわ)るところがここしかありません。

There is nowhere else to sit but here.

遠(とお)いので、車(くるま)で行(い)くことしか出来(でき)ない。

Because it is far away, you can only go by car.

「はい」と「いいえ」しか言(い)わない人(ひと)とは話(はな)しにくい。

It is difficult to talk to people who only respond with 'yes' and 'no'.

すみませんが、午後(ごご)しか空(あ)いていないみたいです。

I am sorry, but it looks like there is only space open in the afternoon.

冷蔵庫(れいぞうこ)に牛乳(ぎゅうにゅう)しか残(のこ)っていない。

There is nothing but milk in the fridge.

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オンライン
- How to use しか & だけ
  MaggieSensei
- Indication that there's nothing else using 「しか」
  Tae Kim

オフライン
- [AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
  Page 37
- [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
  Page 398
- Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai
  Page 91
- Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
  Page 247
- みんなの日本語 II
  Page 18 [CH 27]
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「しか～ない」に関する文法ディスカッション

最近の返信 (合計11件)

Pushindawood
there’s only
nothing but
Structure
- Noun + しか + Verb[ない]
[Noun + しかない → Nothing but (noun) exists (ある → Verb[ない] = ない)]
[Verb + しかない → Have no choice but to (verb)]

View on Bunpro
xBl4ck
image.png720×192 15.1 KB

What is the [double...
Pushindawood
@xBl4ck That’s a good question! I am not sure what I was thinking when I added this hint. Perhaps it had something to do with ちょっと possibly being interpreted as “not many” which would lead to the translation “nothing but not many.” Anyway, I have removed the “[double negative]” hint and replaced it with “nothing but.” Cheers!
Talos
For the example where you’re conjugating 空あいている, and しかあいていない is expected, is there a reason that しかあいていません is not also valid?

Isn’t the point just to use a negative existence verb? Another example’s correct answer ends in ありません。

Perhaps the issue is that you don’t typically use polite forms in the middle of sentences like that?
Pushindawood
@Talos Thank you for your question.

Perhaps the issue is that you don’t typically use polite forms in the middle of sentences like that?

You are absolutely correct! If a sentence ends in plain form (more often than not in polite form too) then it sounds unnatural to use the polite form of a verb in the middle of a sentence. The specific sentence that you are wondering about pairs しか空いていない with みたい which always pairs with the plain form of the verb. Cheers!
rwmleach
I just 10 minutes ago added ばかり as a new grammar point, so when this sentence came up in reviews:

すみませんが、午後 ___ みたいです。[空いている]
I am sorry, but it looks like there is only space open in the afternoon.

I thought “brilliant, I just added ばかり so it must be あいていてばかり”.

It wasn’t though, the correct answer was しかあいていない.

Can anyone explain the difference between these two?

すみませんが、午後空いていてばかりみたいです。
すみませんが、午後しか空いていないみたいです。
mrnoone
@rwmleach
Hey!

Very interesting question!

In this context しか~ない fits better. It simply means “only”.

てばかり has a nuance of criticism that someones behavior repeats or continues. Someone does “nothing but (verb)”

いのうえおりひめは一日中泣いてばかりです。
Inoue Orihime does nothing but crying.

猫は一日中寝てばかりいる。
Cats do nothing but sleep whole days.

コーラを飲んでばかりいると太るよ。
If you do nothing but drink cola, then you will get fat.
(if you keep on drinking cola…)

I hope it helps,
Cheers!
rwmleach
That is helpful, thanks!
CrisH
空気くうきが綺麗きれいだし、皆みんなが優やさしいから、ここにしかすまないだろう。
I attempted to answer this one with 住んでいない, since I almost exclusively see ‘living’ use the continuative. I suppose with the English being “no othe place to live”, I can see why that is, but is 住んでいない specifically wrong for some reason?
Daru
Because the clause does not affect you actually living there or not, but it does affect the decision of doing so. And since it’s a yes-or-no decision, it can only be positive or negative, not declaring a continuous state.

Hope this helps!
CrisH
Right, I see! Thanks
NearlyRemy
I’m a little confused about the comment added to the translation of this sentence:

遠いので、車で行くことしかできない。

Because it is far away, you can only go by car.
[Since Verb→Noun + しかない implies inability, using の as a nominalizer cannot work here]

I’m not sure how の acts differently here, it’s probably a misunderstanding on my part regarding the difference between the two, but at my current level of understanding I translate both options as “you can only go by car”