だけに
- 1Because of X, Y follows naturally, as one would expect given X.Ex. 1
- 2Precisely because of X, the resulting feeling or impact is all the stronger.Ex. 2
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Common in writing and in somewhat formal speech. The だけに clause gives a notable quality or circumstance, and the main clause states an evaluation, feeling or consequence proportionate to it. It works for both positive and negative outcomes, and the main clause can also express a wish or request suited to the situation (貴重な機会だけに、ぜひご参加ください).
Learners sometimes use だけに for a plain, neutral reason where から or ので is appropriate.
Note that this だけに is not the limiting だけ ("only") followed by the particle に.
- だけあってN2「だけあって」only states that a result is as expected and lives up to its reputation, and it often appears together with「さすが」. Sense 1 is interchangeable with「だけに」, but when the result is the opposite of what was expected and the disappointment runs deeper (e.g.,「期待していただけに残念だ」), it cannot be replaced with「だけあって」.
- だけのことはあるN2「だけのことはある」usually comes at the end of the sentence as an overall 'lives up to its reputation' evaluation, and it is limited to positive results—it cannot express deeper disappointment. Its conjunctive form「だけのことはあって」, when linked to a positive result, is close to sense 1 of「だけに」.
- ばかりにN2「ばかりに」signals that a bad outcome was brought on just because of one often trivial reason, with a tone of regret; it cannot introduce a good outcome (except「〜たいばかりに」). It leans toward written style, and a noun must take「である／だった」.
- からこそN2「からこそ」emphasizes 'precisely this reason,' carrying a nuance of assertion or persuasion, and it often pairs with「のだ」; it usually sounds unnatural when simply stating the cause of a negative result. It follows nouns and な-adjectives in the pattern「だ」+「からこそ」.
- てこそN2「てこそ」means 'only when the first action is done does the second hold true,' stressing a necessary condition, whereas「だけに」means 'precisely because..., all the more...,' with the degree matching. 「てこそ」attaches to the て-form or appears as「でこそ」, and the two cannot be interchanged.
「だけあって」and「だけのことはある」mainly praise results that match one's status or efforts, while「だけに」works with both good and bad outcomes and often expresses deeper disappointment. 「ばかりに」stresses that a bad outcome resulted solely from one cause, with a tone of regret, while「からこそ」and「てこそ」emphasize the reason or condition itself, without the nuance of 'to an even greater degree'.
