particle N2 common writtenpolite
〜でしかない — is merely ~ / is nothing more than ~
〜でしかない ・ でしかない
Meaning
- is merely ~ / is nothing more than ~ — dismissively limits something to a small or trivial value
Key sentence
それは言い訳でしかない。
That's nothing more than an excuse.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + でしかない | 夢 → 夢でしかない / 偶然 → 偶然でしかない |
When: Emphatic and somewhat written or argumentative — it downgrades something, asserting it amounts to no more than the noun. Carries a dismissive or critical tone.
Examples
今の私にとって、それはただの数字でしかない。
To me right now, that's just a number, nothing more.
彼の謝罪は形だけでしかなかった。
His apology was nothing more than a formality.
Easily confused with
〜にすぎない Near-synonyms ('no more than ~'). にすぎない attaches widely (nouns and clauses) and reads as a measured 'merely.' でしかない attaches to nouns and feels more emphatic and dismissive — 'it's nothing but ~.' しか〜ない しか〜ない limits a quantity or option ('only this much'). でしかない limits the identity/value of something ('it's merely X'), passing judgment rather than counting.
See 〜でしかない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜でしかない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.