だけ
dake
Only; just; as much as
だけ marks the limit of what is included, meaning only or just that thing and nothing more.
How to form it
Attach だけ directly after a noun, a noun phrase, or a verb in its plain past or non-past form. For verbs, use the short form (dictionary form or past tense). For adjectives, use the plain form of な-adjectives or い-adjectives.
What it means
だけ is a particle that limits the scope of what you are talking about. If you say これだけ, it means only this thing, not anything else. You can put it after nouns, verbs in their plain form, and adjectives. For verbs, the plain form can be present or past: 食べるだけ (only eat) or 食べただけ (only ate). For な-adjectives, you use the plain form: 静かなだけ means 'only quiet' or 'merely quiet' (e.g., 静かなだけの部屋). For い-adjectives, you use the plain form: 高いだけ (only expensive). Note that だけ can also mean 'as much as' in a different pattern, like 欲しいだけ (as much as I want), but the core meaning is 'only.'
Example sentences
コーヒーだけ飲みます。
Kōhī dake nomimasu.
I drink only coffee.
昨日は三時間だけ寝ました。
Kinō wa san-jikan dake nemashita.
Yesterday I slept only three hours.
これだけください。
Kore dake kudasai.
Please give me just this.
Don’t confuse it with
しか～ない
だけ is positive and does not require a negative verb: 猫だけいます (There is only a cat). しか requires a negative verb: 猫しかいません (There is nothing but a cat). Both mean 'only,' but the structure differs.
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だけ is neutral and can be used in both speaking and writing, casual and formal contexts.
Other meanings of だけ
だけas much as~ · N3Next in the N5 path
13Questions
What does だけ mean?
Only; just; as much as. だけ marks the limit of what is included, meaning only or just that thing and nothing more.
How do you form だけ?
Attach だけ directly after a noun, a noun phrase, or a verb in its plain past or non-past form. For verbs, use the short form (dictionary form or past tense). For adjectives, use the plain form of な-adjectives or い-adjectives.
Example of だけ in a sentence
コーヒーだけ飲みます。 — I drink only coffee.
しか～ない — what is the difference?
だけ is positive and does not require a negative verb: 猫だけいます (There is only a cat). しか requires a negative verb: 猫しかいません (There is nothing but a cat). Both mean 'only,' but the structure differs.
What JLPT level is だけ?
JLPT N5 (beginner), number 12 of 80 in Nihoner's learning order for N5.
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