ばかりか

JLPT N3approx.Written
Meaning
  1. 1Not only A but also B, adding a further (often more remarkable) item on top of the first.Ex. 1
  2. 2Not only did one thing happen but another as well, often piling up bad outcomes.Ex. 2
Formation
Noun+ばかりか
Verb (plain form)+ばかりか
い-adjective (plain form)+ばかりか
な-adjective stem+な+ばかりかe.g. 静かなばかりか
AlternativeNounな-adjective stem+である+ばかりかe.g. 有名であるばかりか
Examples
He can speak not only English but also Chinese and French.
遅刻ちこくしたばかりか、宿題しゅくだいも忘わすれてきた。
Not only was I late, but I also forgot my homework.
Usage

Slightly formal. Common in writing, news and explanations, less so in casual talk. The second clause often contains も, さえ or まで to stress the added item. Compared with だけでなく, ばかりか sounds stiffer and more emphatic, suggesting that B goes even further than A.

Watch out

Do not use commands, requests, invitations or statements of will in the clause after ばかりか; use だけでなく or ばかりでなく instead.

Note that な-adjectives need な before ばかりか, not だ (静かなばかりか, not 静かだばかりか).

Learners often forget to mark the added item with も, さえ or まで, which makes the sentence sound incomplete.

Easily confused with
  • のみならずN2「のみならず」has the same meaning and is interchangeable with「ばかりか」in most cases, but it is stiffer and more formal, used mainly in academic papers and news, with a weaker tone of surprise. With na-adjectives it can only take「である」, not「な」. It can also appear as「それのみならず」at the start of a sentence, meaning 'not only that.'
  • ばかりでなくN3「ばかりでなく」takes the same preceding forms, and the two are often interchangeable when stating facts; however, it has a plainer tone and simply indicates addition without necessarily implying surprise, with a neutral register. The following clause can be a request or invitation, and in such cases it sounds more natural.
  • だけでなくN3「だけでなく」has a plain tone and is common in both speech and writing; the second clause can be a request or invitation.「ばかりか」places more emphasis on the second item being unexpected, and its second clause less often takes commands or requests. When stating facts, the two are often interchangeable.
  • のみかN2「のみか」has essentially the same meaning as「ばかりか」and can directly replace it in most situations. It is more literary, sounding elegant and stiff; it is not suitable for everyday conversation, where「ばかりか」or「だけでなく」sounds more natural.
  • はおろかN1With「はおろか」, the second clause is usually negative in content: it first mentions something demanding and then says that even something more basic is not possible, with a stiffer tone; it can also be followed by a request.「ばかりか」works for both good and bad things, and positive content cannot be replaced with「はおろか」.
  • 上にN2「上に」simply lays out two things in the same direction side by side, without emphasizing that B goes a step further or is unexpected, and its register is neutral. With nouns, add「の/である」before it. When the items before and after are consistent in being positive or negative, the two are often interchangeable, but switching to「上に」weakens the tone of astonishment.

だけでなく and ばかりでなく are more neutral and, unlike ばかりか, allow requests or intentions in the second clause, while のみならず and のみか are stiffer, more literary equivalents. はおろか marks A as too obvious to mention and usually leads to a negative "not even" statement, and 上に simply adds a fact without the sense of surprise that ばかりか carries.

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

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