Japanese word

だけ

Pronunciation

Romajidake

Meaning

  • particleonly

Example

私は水だけを飲みます。watashi wa mizu da ke o no mi ma su

I drink only water.

Illustration for だけ (only)

More examples

私は水だけ飲みます。watashi wa mizu da ke no mi ma su

I drink only water.

この箱には本だけが入っています。ko no bako ni wa hon da ke ga hai tte i ma su

There are only books in this box.

Core concept

Marks a boundary around one person, thing, amount, or action and excludes what lies beyond it.

Common phrases

  • 私だけwatashi da ke

    only me

  • 三つだけmit tsu da ke

    only three

  • これだけでko re da ke de

    with only this

Similar words

しかshika: Marks a limited amount or range and is normally used with a negative predicate.
ばかりbakari: Marks the stated item or action as the sole focus and can suggest excess or repetition.

Definition in Japanese

ある数量や範囲を限定し、それ以外を含まない意を表す。a ru sū ryō ya han i o gen tei shi so re i gai o fuku ma na i i o arawa su

Word origin

The particle だけ (dake) developed from 丈 (take, "extent" or "measure"), whose sense of a limit led to the modern restrictive use.

Usage tips

  • The particle だけ (dake) usually follows the word or phrase it limits, so its position helps show the scope of "only."

Other meanings

  • aloneadverb

Word lists with this word