it’s better than; should feel grateful for (だけましだ) – Japanese Grammar だけましだ (dake mashi da)

Q: What JLPT level is だけましだ?

JLPT N2 — Upper-Intermediate · Academic & formal usage

Q: How do you use だけましだ in a sentence?

Attach だけましだ to the appropriate verb or noun form. It’s better than; should feel grateful for

Q: Is だけましだ formal or casual Japanese?

だけましだ is typically used in formal or written Japanese contexts.

だけましだ

N2 GRAMMAR ⏱ 0s study 📖 0 today

dake mashi da

it’s better than; should feel grateful for

恐らく osoraku て以来 te irai あげく ageku 以外 igai のみならず nominarazu たまえ tamae っこない kkonai とか（で） toka (de) てたまらない te tamaranai 抜く nuku そう言えば sou ieba あるいは aruiwa に限って ni kagitte に越したことはない ni koshita koto wa nai ふうに fuu ni それなのに sore na noni せめて semete 少なくとも sukunaku tomo 甲斐がある kai ga aru やら～やら yara~yara 恐らく osoraku て以来 te irai あげく ageku 以外 igai のみならず nominarazu たまえ tamae っこない kkonai とか（で） toka (de) てたまらない te tamaranai 抜く nuku そう言えば sou ieba あるいは aruiwa に限って ni kagitte に越したことはない ni koshita koto wa nai ふうに fuu ni それなのに sore na noni せめて semete 少なくとも sukunaku tomo 甲斐がある kai ga aru やら～やら yara~yara

🃏 Flashcard

だけましだ

dake mashi da

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it’s better than; should feel grateful for

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📊 Pattern Stats

JLPT Level N2

Upper-Intermediate · Academic & formal usage

Reading dake mashi da

Post ID 51004

Patterns today 0

0 / 10 daily goal

📝 Usage Notes

it’s better than; should feel grateful for

📖 How to use it

Expresses that a situation, though not ideal, is at least better than the alternative, so one should feel relieved or grateful.

Attaches to Attach to the plain non-past form of verbs (e.g., 動く, ある), the plain form of い-adjectives (e.g., 安い), or directly to nouns and な-adjective stems followed by だ? (Note: だけましだ is typically used after verbs and adjectives; for nouns, the construction is less common and often のだけましだ is used, but the entry's examples are verb-based.)

This pattern is used when you want to say that something is not great, but it could have been worse, so in that sense it is better than the alternative. It carries a nuance of relief or grudging gratitude. You can use it when comparing two bad options, or when a negative outcome is at least not the worst possible one.

The literal meaning is 'just better' or 'only better'. It often appears with まだ (still) to emphasize that despite the bad situation, there is some consolation. The pattern is fairly common in both speech and writing, but it is not overly formal, so you can use it in everyday conversation.

Be careful with the order: the clause that takes だけましだ is the one you consider less bad. For example, if you say 電車が遅れただけましだ, it means the train being late is better than (some other bad thing like it being cancelled). You need to have an implicit or explicit comparison in mind.

電車が止まったけど、1時間で動くだけましだ。

Densha ga tomatta kedo, ichi-jikan de ugoku dake mashi da.

The train stopped, but at least it started moving again after an hour.

給料は安いけど、仕事があるだけましだ。

Kyuuryou wa yasui kedo, shigoto ga aru dake mashi da.

The salary is low, but at least I have a job.

風邪を引いたけど、熱がないだけましだ。

Kaze o hiita kedo, netsu ga nai dake mashi da.

I caught a cold, but at least I don't have a fever.

Not ほうがましだほうがましだ is used for comparing two options and saying one is better than the other (e.g., 歩くほうがましだ). だけましだ focuses on the current situation being better than a worse hypothetical alternative, often with a sense of relief. When comparing actual options, use ほうがましだ.

Register Neutral; used in both spoken and written Japanese, but more common in casual conversation than in formal writing.

🎯 Quick Quiz

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だけましだ

📚 How to Master This Pattern

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Compose two original sentences using だけましだ. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.

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🔗 More JLPT N2 Patterns

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だけあって

being the case; precisely because

だけに

being the case; precisely because

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grammar pattern だけましだ mean? ▼

It’s better than; should feel grateful for

What JLPT level is だけましだ? ▼

Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N2 — Upper-Intermediate · Academic & formal usage. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.

How do you use だけましだ in a sentence? ▼

Attach だけましだ (dake mashi da) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.

Is だけましだ formal or casual Japanese? ▼

だけましだ is used in formal or written contexts. You will see it mainly in written texts, news, business Japanese and academic contexts.

How can I remember だけましだ long-term? ▼

Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.