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Particles (Japanese) (view source)
Revision as of 13:02, December 10, 2008
, 13:02, December 10, 2008bakari
Similarly, it can be placed after the potential form of the verbs "~ru" (る), "~reru" (れる), and "~rareru" (られる), to indicate a maximum degree of something, which can not be passed. The English equivalent would be "as much as..." An example would be, "Atashi '''wa''' arukeru '''dake''' arukimash<i></i>ita desu (As for I to walk (as much as) did walk it is)," or, "I really walked as much as I could."
Similarly, it can be placed after the potential form of the verbs "~ru" (る), "~reru" (れる), and "~rareru" (られる), to indicate a maximum degree of something, which can not be passed. The English equivalent would be "as much as..." An example would be, "Atashi '''wa''' arukeru '''dake''' arukimash<i></i>ita desu (As for I to walk (as much as) did walk it is)," or, "I really walked as much as I could."
==Bakari (ばかり)==
"Bakari" is similar to "dake" in that it indicates something is limited, but that "something" is limited to one action, thing, or place, especially . It is like the English "...always just doing..." or "...all the time". For example, "Sono koneko '''wa''' itsumo nemutte '''bakari''' imasu (as for that kitten (lit. child-cat) usually to sleep (all the time) continually)" or 'That kitten sleeps all the time." This meaning applies to verbs that end in the present-tense "~te" form.
If the verb ends in the past-tense "~ta" form, then the meaning changes to "already have", as in "Watashi '''wa''' tabe''ta'' '''bakari''' da." (I already ate), compared to "Watashi '''wa''' tabe''te'' '''bakari''' iru" (I am always eating.)
It also indicates that what precedes it, could result in only one course of action. So if somebody receives bad news and can only panic because of that news, I would say, "Sono nyuusu '''o''' kiite kare '''wa''' tada oroorosuru '''bakari''' desh<i></i>ita. (That news (to hear) (as for) him only to panic (all the time) it happens )." (Also, notice how the use of "wa" indicates that the "news that he heard" is the topic of the sentence.)
"Bakari" is also used in conjunction with a number, to indicate a degree of things. It implies that you are not quite sure of the amount, or figure, like the English "approximately" or "about." If I am going to be away, but I only know it will be for about 10 days, I could say, "Atashi '''wa''' tooka '''bakari''' rusu '''ni''' shimasu." ("tooka" is a Japanese word that specifically means "ten days").
Similarly, it can be used to indicate that something is about to happen. "Ame '''ga''' furidasan '''bakari''' '''no''' sora moyoo '''da''' (Rain (will) rainfall about from sky show signs of will) means, " The sky looks like it is about to rain."
==Shika (しか)==
==Shika (しか)==
"Shika" (pronounced "sh'ka" - the "i" is silent) serves a very similar function to that of "dake", but is always followed by a negative verb. Whereas "dake" indicates a precise limit, "shika" indicates that what precedes it is the maximum limit; there can be no more. It approximates the English "only", "mo more than..." or "nothing but..."
"Shika" (pronounced "sh'ka" - the "i" is [[Devoice (Japanese)|devoiced]]) serves a very similar function to that of "dake", but is always followed by a negative verb. Whereas "dake" indicates a precise limit, "shika" indicates that what precedes it is the maximum limit; there can be no more. It approximates the English "only", "mo more than..." or "nothing but..."
To compare the two, consider these sentences:
To compare the two, consider these sentences: