Japanese ばかり grammar bakari
Let’s learn Japanese ばかり grammar bakari :
JLPT level : N3
Formation :
Numeral + ばかり
N + auxilliary(or not) + ばかり
Meaning and how to use :
1. Describe an approximate quantity, unspecific. Means “about”.
Can only be used with : Numeral + ばかり
For example
２時ばかり宿題をしました。
Ni ji bakari shukudai o shi mashi ta.
I have been doing my homework for about 2 hours
１週間ばかりアメリカへ旅行をする。
ichi shuukan bakari amerika he ryokou o suru.
I travelled to the US for about one week
８０円の切符を５つばかりください。
hachi zero en no kippu o itsutsu bakari kudasai.
Please sell me 5 stamps which cost 80 yen.
2. Describe the meaning: There is only one mentioned object, repeat the mentioned things.
Can only be used with: N + auxiliary verb (or not) + ばかり
For example
彼は映画ばかり見ていて、目が悪くなったのはもちろんだ。
kare ha eiga bakari mi te i te, me ga waruku natta no ha mochiron da.
He watches film all the time, so his eyes obviously get worse.
娘はいつもファストフードばかり食べて、太った。
musume ha itsumo fasutofūdo bakari tabe te, futotta.
My daughter eats only fast food, so she gets fat.
今日のテストミスをばかりしました。
kyou no tesuto misu o bakari shi mashi ta.
I have done nothing but wrong answers in my exam.
Note:
1. With the first use, we use ほど more in spoken language. We don’t use it to describe a specific day, if we want to, we useぐらい／ごろ. In the third example ばかり is still the same as 切符を５つください
2. In the second use, auxiliary “が” or “を” which stand after ばかりwill be removed or becomes「ばかりを」「ばかりが」, the others are kept intact. It doesn’t stand after “まで”、 “より” and “から” to describe reason. It also cannot replace “のみ” and “だけ” .
Related structures :
ばかりいる bakariiru
ばかりで bakaride
ばかりだ bakarida
ばかりの bakarino
んばかり nbakari
ばかりに bakarini
ばかりもいられない bakarimoirarenai
とばかりはいえない tobakarihaienai
とばかりおもっていた tobakariomotteita
とばかりに tobakarini
ばかりか bakarika
ばかりでなく…も bakaridenaku…mo
above is Japanese ばかり grammar bakari. if you don’t understand the signs we used in fomation, you can find their meaning here : signs used in Japanese grammar structures.
You can search the structure you want by using the search tool on our website (using key : grammar + ‘structure name’ or you can find more Japanese grammar structures in the following category : Japanese grammar dictionary
