だけ (dake)
だけ — only, just; as much as ～
Pattern
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名詞 ＋ だけlimit: 一度だけ (just once) -
動詞辞書形／な形容詞な ＋ だけextent: 好きなだけ食べる (eat as much as you like), 必要なだけ
Limiting
だけ placed after a noun limits it: 一度だけ means “just once, no more”. It focuses on the one thing mentioned and excludes the rest. Unlike しか, which requires a negative, だけ can be used with positive sentences.
As much as ～
When it comes after a verb or adjective that expresses the speaker's wish or need, it means “up to the limit of that”: 好きなだけ食べてください (eat as much as you like), 必要なだけ持っていってください. There is no limit besides the person's own will or need.
Examples
-
好（す）きなだけ食（た）べてください。
Suki na dake tabete kudasai.
Please eat as much as you like.
-
必要（ひつよう）なだけ持（も）っていってください。
Hitsuyō na dake motte itte kudasai.
Please take as much as you need.
-
一度（いちど）だけチャンスをあげよう。
Ichido dake chansu o ageyō.
I'll give you just one chance.
Common mistakes
- な-adjectives take な before だけ: 好きなだけ, 必要なだけ.
- Do not mix it up with しか～ない. だけ is used with positive verbs; しか needs a negative.
More grammar points
- あまり あまりの～に — so ～ that ～
- あまりにも あまりにも — far too ～, excessively
- ば～ほど ～ば～ほど — the more ～, the more ～
- 別（べつ）に～ない 別に～ない — not particularly ～
- どうしても どうしても — no matter what, absolutely
- ほど ～ほど — to the extent of ～
- ほど～ない A ほど～ない — not as ～ as A
- 決（けっ）して～ない 決して～ない — never ～
- くらい / ぐらい くらい／ぐらい — about ～, to the extent of ～
- めったに～ない めったに～ない — rarely ～
- なかなか なかなか — quite / (not) easily
- なるべく なるべく — as much as possible
- に比（くら）べて ～に比べて — compared with ～
- さえ ～さえ — even ～
- せいぜい せいぜい — at most / at best
- 数量（すうりょう） + は 数量＋は — “at least (amount)”
- とても～ない とても～ない — “can't possibly ～”
- よりも ～よりも — “more than ～ / rather than ～”
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