だけ
- 1Only or just: limits what is said to the item or amount it follows.Ex. 1
- 2As much as possible: できるだけ expresses the greatest possible extent.Ex. 2
Particles: が・を can follow だけ or be omitted（水だけを飲む）
Other particles: some can come before or after だけ（私にだけ／私だけに）
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
だけ is neutral and common in speech and writing when limiting an item, amount, or scope; it can occur with affirmative or negative predicates. できるだけ is common in requests about doing something to the greatest extent possible.
Do not assume だけ requires an affirmative predicate; it can also occur with a negative predicate.
Do not put を or が before だけ when marking the limited item; put them after だけ if needed.
Note that できるだけ means “as … as possible,” not “only able to.”
- 〜しか〜ないN4「しか」also means 'only,' but it must be used with a negative predicate and carries a nuance of 'too little, not enough,' as in 「水しか飲まなかった」. It has no 'as much as possible' sense; there is a separate pattern 「動詞の辞書形＋しかない」 meaning 'have no choice but to.'
- きりN3「きり」is close to 「だけ」 only in the 'only' sense: it usually attaches to counts of people or number of times, emphasizes 'that and nothing more,' and not every 「だけ」 can be replaced with it. 「たきり」, meaning 'ever since (doing something), never again,' is unique to 「きり」.
- ばかりN4「ばかり」means 'nothing but / always,' stressing large quantity or repeated actions and often carrying dissatisfaction, whereas 「だけ」 simply limits the scope neutrally. 「ばかり」 can also mean 'approximately' and, in the pattern 「た形＋ばかり」, 'just (did)'; 「だけ」 has neither of these uses.
- 〜にすぎないN2「〜にすぎない」 corresponds only to the 'limiting' sense of 「だけ」: used as a predicate, it means 'is nothing more than,' belongs to written style, and is often used together with 「だけ」. Unlike 「だけ」, it cannot limit objects or other elements within the sentence, and it has no 'as much as possible' sense.
- くらい / ぐらいN5Both can attach after quantity expressions, but their meanings differ and they are not interchangeable: 「二十分だけ」 means 'only twenty minutes,' while 「二十分くらい」 means 'about twenty minutes.' 「くらい」 can also express an equal degree (「同じくらい」) or a slight degree.
だけ states a limit without requiring a negative predicate, while 〜しか〜ない requires one and often suggests scarcity; きり can also mean “only” or indicate that something has not happened since, and ばかり can suggest “nothing but” or excess. 〜にすぎない is a formal “merely,” while くらい / ぐらい can mark approximation or a minimal degree rather than a strict limit.
