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Etymology
Shift from noun 計り, 測り, 量り (hakari, “measurement, amount, full amount”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 計る, 測る, 量る (hakaru, “to measure, to weigh, to calculate”).[1][2] The meaning seems to have shifted from amount to fully, and from there to just or only.
Particle
ばかり • (bakari)
- (〜たばかり -ta bakari) just (recently completed action)
- 食べたばかりだ。
- Tabeta bakari da.
- I just ate.
- (noun + ばかり) full of
- 東京は人ばかりだ。
- Tōkyō wa hito bakari da.
- Tokyo is just full of people.
- (〜てばかりいる -te bakari iru) only, always
- 彼は食べてばかりいる。
- Kare wa tabete bakari iru.
- He's always eating.
Adverb
ばかり • (bakari)
- just; only; nothing but
- 謎は深まるばかりだ。
- Nazo wa fukamaru bakari da.
- The mystery only deepens.
- 今回ばかりはよくやった。
- Konkai bakari wa yoku yatta.
- Nothing but well done this time.
Usage notes
Used in various senses, similarly to English just – "just did something", "just full of", "just sitting there". Senses are distinguished grammatically, as per forms above.
Derived terms
Derived terms
- ばかりばかり (bakari-bakari)
- ばかし (bakashi) (same meaning; informal, speech)
- ばっか (bakka) (same meaning; informal, speech)
- ばかりか (bakari ka)
- ばかりに (bakari ni)
- 言わんばかり (iwanbakari)
- 印ばかり, 標ばかり (shirushi bakari)
- 塵ばかり (chiri bakari)
- とばかり (to bakari)
- 飛び立つばかり (tobitatsu bakari)
- 名ばかり (na-bakari)
- ぬばかり (-nubakari), んばかり (-nbakari)
- 程ばかり (hodo bakari)
Idioms
- 歌にばかり歌う (uta ni bakari utau)
Proverbs
Proverbs
- 影踏むばかり (kagefumu bakari)
- 此処ばかりに日は照らぬ (koko bakari ni hi wa teranu)
- 地獄にも鬼ばかりではない (jigoku ni mo oni bakari de wa nai)
- 地獄の馬で顔ばかりが人 (jigoku no uma de kao bakari ga hito)
- 知らぬは亭主ばかりなり (shiranu wa teishu bakari nari)
- 箸を持って食うばかり (hashi o motte kuu bakari)
- 針刺すばかり (hari sasu bakari)
References
Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN