のみか

JLPT N2approx.Written
Meaning

Means 'not only X, but also Y.' It adds a further, often more striking, fact to the first one. It is a formal, literary equivalent of ばかりか.

Examples
1
彼女かのじょは日本語にほんごのみか、中国語ちゅうごくごや韓国語かんこくごにも堪能たんのうだ。
She is fluent not only in Japanese but also in Chinese and Korean.
2
この台風たいふうは家屋かおくを壊こわすのみか、山やまを崩くずすほどの威力いりょくだった。
This typhoon not only destroyed houses but was powerful enough to bring down mountainsides.
Formation
Noun+のみか
Noun+である+のみか
+のみか
+のみか
+な+のみか
+である+のみかthe following clause is often paired with も、さえ、まで
Usage

Found mainly in writing, speeches and news-style prose. The first part states a fact, and the second adds something further or more surprising. It is close in meaning to ばかりか and のみならず, and much stiffer than だけでなく.

Watch out

Do not use のみか in casual conversation; だけでなく or ばかりか sound more natural there.

Note that the second clause usually carries も, まで or さえ to mark the added item.

Easily confused with
  • 1.
    のみならずN2「のみならず」 is also literary; when attached after a word to express addition, it is basically interchangeable with 「のみか」, but with a more formal tone. It can also be used at the start of a sentence (or as 「それのみならず」) to mean 'not only that.' Na-adjectives must take 「である」 before it.
  • 2.
    ばかりかN3The meaning is basically the same as 「のみか」, and the following clause likewise often pairs with 「も」「さえ」「まで」; the two are interchangeable in most cases. 「ばかりか」 is more common and more neutral in tone—also somewhat literary, but not as stiff and bookish as 「のみか」.
  • 3.
    ばかりでなくN3「ばかりでなく」 has a similar meaning and is mostly interchangeable in declarative sentences; however, it is neutral in register and works in speech, and the following sentence can take requests or invitations. 「のみか」 is literary and generally does not take such volitional expressions.
  • 4.
    だけでなくN3「だけでなく」 has the same meaning as 「のみか」 but works in both speech and writing with a neutral tone; the following sentence can also take requests, invitations, and other volitional expressions, which 「のみか」 generally cannot. The two are mostly interchangeable in declarative sentences, but in conversation 「だけでなく」 is preferable.
  • 5.
    はもとよりN2「はもとより」 attaches only to nouns (noun + は), and the first item must be something taken for granted; 「のみか」 can also attach to verbs and adjectives and does not require the first item to be obvious. They are interchangeable when the first item is a noun and a matter of course; both are literary.
  • 6.
    はおろかN1「はおろか」 means 'let alone X, even the more basic Y…'; the following clause is usually negative in content, carrying surprise or dissatisfaction, whereas 「のみか」 can also be used for positive situations. 「はおろか」 requires 「の」 after verbs (verb + の), and its following clause can take requests, which 「のみか」 generally cannot.

のみか is nearly synonymous with ばかりか, ばかりでなく and だけでなく, but it is more literary than all of them, and のみならず is its equally formal and more common counterpart. はもとより treats X as obvious ('X goes without saying, and Y too'), while はおろか means 'let alone X' and typically appears in negative or extreme statements.

Grammar · JLPT grammar levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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