connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜ばかりで — only ~
〜ばかりで ・ ばかりで
Builds on 〜ばかり
Meaning
- all it does is ~ / only ~, and nothing more — connects to a following clause where the expected positive counterpart is missing
Implies a one-sided, usually unwelcome situation: one thing happens over and over, but the result or counterpart you'd hope for never comes.
Key sentence
値段が上がるばかりで、給料は増えない。
Prices only keep going up, while wages don't rise.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain) / Noun | V(plain) + ばかりで; N + ばかりで | 増えるばかりで / 口先ばかりで |
Examples
彼は謝るばかりで、何も行動しない。
He just keeps apologising and never actually does anything.
雨が降るばかりで、一向に晴れない。
It does nothing but rain — it just won't clear up.
Easily confused with
〜ばかり Plain ばかり just says 'nothing but ~.' ばかりで carries that into a following clause to set up a contrast — 'all it does is ~, but/and yet …' (謝るばかりで直らない). 〜だけで だけで is positive — one thing alone is enough to cause a good result (見るだけで分かる). ばかりで is negative-leaning — one thing repeats while the desired outcome fails to appear.
See 〜ばかりで in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ばかりで the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo