InitialJ
N3limitationemphasis

～ばかり (bakari) - Only / Nothing but

[Noun/Verb te-form] + ばかり

Quick answer

[Noun/Verb te-form] + ばかり means "Only / Nothing but / Just". This N3 pattern appears often in everyday conversation. Examples and practice exercises are listed below.

Meaning

Only / Nothing but / Just

Explanation

Indicates that something is the only thing happening, often with a negative nuance.

Examples

彼はゲームばかりしている。
かれはゲームばかりしている。
He does nothing but play games.
彼—He
最近、忙しいことばかりです。
さいきん、いそがしいことばかりです。
Recently it's been nothing but busy things.
最—Utmost近—Near忙—Busy

Practice this grammar

[Noun/Verb te-form] + ばかり

Which sentence correctly uses "～ばかり (bakari) - Only / Nothing but"?

Vocabulary from these examples

最UtmostN3彼HeN3近NearN4忙BusyN3彼He

Last updated Jul 4, 2026