Nothing But / Too Much Of: ばかり

Use ばかり to express repeated excess, strong concentration, or “nothing but” in everyday contexts.

Use noun + ばかり and て-form + ばかりいる.Understand the common critical or complaining nuance of ばかり.Read ばかり as “mostly,” “always,” or “nothing but” depending on context.

Guided study

Nothing but or mostly

ばかり can show that one thing dominates. It often means “nothing but,” “mostly,” or “always doing the same kind of thing.”

弟はゲームばかりしています。

My younger brother does nothing but play games.

甘いものばかり食べると、体によくありません。

If you eat nothing but sweet things, it is not good for your health.

あのクラスには男の子ばかりいます。

That class has almost only boys.

Practice guides for this lesson

Use these hub pages to connect this lesson with related reading practice and grammar paths.

N4 Japanese grammar lessons

Use the N4 Japanese grammar lessons guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

Open guide

Japanese grammar practice

Use the Japanese grammar practice guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

Open guide

Japanese grammar lessons

Use the Japanese grammar lessons guide to connect this lesson with related reading practice.

Open guide