ばかり / だけ / など

JLPT N4 Japanese self-study　·　~12 min　·　Always only ~ / just ~ / things like ~

'He does nothing but eat sweets.' vs 'Just this is fine.' vs 'Cities like Tokyo and Osaka.' ばかり implies excess; だけ is neutral; など gives examples.

What you'll learn

• ばかり: always only ~ / does nothing but ~ (implies excess)
• だけ: only / just ~ (neutral limitation)
• など: and so on / things like ~ (listing examples)

How to study “ばかり / だけ / など”

“ばかり / だけ / など” (Always only ~ / just ~ / things like ~) is a JLPT N4 chapter of our free Japanese self-study course, about 12 min. You learn by doing — flashcard drills and fill-in-the-blank quizzes graded on the spot — completely free, with no sign-up and no ad wall. Once it clicks, read the matching in-depth explainer over in Grammar.