ばかり

See also: はかり

Japanese
Alternative spelling
許り

Etymology

Shift from noun 計り, 測り, 量り (hakari, “measurement, amount, full amount”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 計る, 測る, 量る (hakaru, “to measure, to weigh, to calculate”).[1][2] The meaning seems to have shifted from amount to fully, and from there to just or only.

Pronunciation

Particle

ばかり • (bakari) 

  1. (〜たばかり -ta bakari) just (recently completed action)
    食(た)べたばかりだ。
    Tabeta bakari da.
    I just ate.
  2. (noun + ばかり) full of
    東(とう)京(きょう)は人(ひと)ばかりだ。
    Tōkyō wa hito bakari da.
    Tokyo is just full of people.
  3. (〜てばかり -te bakari) only, always
    彼(かれ)は食(た)べてばかり居(い)る。
    Kare wa tabete bakari iru.
    He's always eating.

Adverb

ばかり • (bakari) 

  1. just; only; nothing but
    謎(なぞ)は深(ふか)まるばかりだ。
    Nazo wa fukamaru bakari da.
    The mystery only deepens.
    今回(こんかい)ばかりはよくやった。
    Konkai bakari wa yoku yatta.
    Nothing but well done this time.

Usage notes

Used in various senses, similarly to English just – "just did something", "just full of", "just sitting there". Senses are distinguished grammatically, as per forms above.

Derived terms
Derived terms
  • ばかりばかり (bakari-bakari)
  • ばかし (bakashi) (same meaning; informal, speech)
  • ばっか (bakka) (same meaning; informal, speech)
  • ばかりか (bakari ka)
  • ばかりに (bakari ni)
  • 言(い)わんばかり (iwanbakari)
  • 印(しるし)ばかり, 標(しるし)ばかり (shirushi bakari)
  • 塵(ちり)ばかり (chiri bakari)
  • とばかり (to bakari)
  • 飛(と)び立(た)つばかり (tobitatsu bakari)
  • 名(な)ばかり (na-bakari)
  • ぬばかり (-nubakari), んばかり (-nbakari)
  • 程(ほど)ばかり (hodo bakari)

Idioms
  • 歌(うた)にばかり歌(うた)う (uta ni bakari utau)

Proverbs
Proverbs
  • 影(かげ)踏(ふ)むばかり (kagefumu bakari)
  • 此処(ここ)ばかりに日(ひ)は照(て)らぬ (koko bakari ni hi wa teranu)
  • 地(じ)獄(ごく)にも鬼(おに)ばかりではない (jigoku ni mo oni bakari de wa nai)
  • 地(じ)獄(ごく)の馬(うま)で顔(かお)ばかりが人(ひと) (jigoku no uma de kao bakari ga hito)
  • 知(し)らぬは亭(てい)主(しゅ)ばかりなり (shiranu wa teishu bakari nari)
  • 箸(はし)を持(も)って食(く)うばかり (hashi o motte kuu bakari)
  • 針(はり)刺(さ)すばかり (hari sasu bakari)

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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