JLPT N5 · Particles
だけ (dake)
～だけ — “only ～”
In short · Attaches to a word and limits the range to just that, with nothing else. It follows nouns and quantities, and also the plain form of verbs and adjectives.
Pattern
-
名詞／数量＋だけRight after a noun or quantity (水だけ, 少しだけ, 一人だけ) -
動詞・形容詞の普通形＋だけPlain form + だけ (e.g. 見るだけ “just look”)
What it means
It narrows things down to just the item named. 水だけください means “water and nothing else.”
How it fits in a sentence
The particles が and を are often dropped after だけ (水だけください). Others such as は, に, で can follow it (私だけは, ここでだけ).
Difference from しか～ない
だけ is neutral and goes with an affirmative sentence. しか must be paired with a negative and often suggests “that is all, and it is not enough.”
Examples
-
水（みず）だけください。
Mizu dake kudasai.
Please give me only water.
-
今日（きょう）は少（すこ）しだけ食（た）べました。
Kyō wa sukoshi dake tabemashita.
I ate only a little today.
-
子（こ）どもは一人（ひとり）だけです。
Kodomo wa hitori dake desu.
There is only one child.
Common mistakes
- Keep だけ in an affirmative sentence. Do not mix up 水しかありません and 水だけあります.
- ばかり and のみ are different words. In everyday speech the basic choice is だけ.
More grammar points
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- か か (ka) — the question marker
- から から・まで — from … to …
- より より (yori) — than (comparison)
- で ～で — place, means and cause
- が ～が — marks the subject
- か か — the question particle
- まで ～まで — “until / up to ～”
- も ～も — “also / too”
- なあ ～なあ — sentence-final feeling
- ね ～ね — “..., right? / isn’t it?”
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