ใใ ใใปใใใใใชใ
...dake / ...shika...nai
Only / Nothing but
๐ธ Expressing Limits and Scarcity ๐ธ
๐ฌ Dialogue
Repลto wa mล owarimashita ka?
Have you finished the report yet?
Iie, mada hanbun dake owarimashita.
No, I've only finished half of it.
Etsu, ato ichijikan shika arimasen yo.
What? There is only one hour left.
Sumimasen, kono shiryล dake yonde kara kakimasu.
Sorry, I will write it after reading only this document.
Kaigishitsu ni wa watashi to Hana-san shika imasen ne.
There is no one but me and Hana in the meeting room, right?
Hai, minna kyลซkei ni ikimashita.
Yes, everyone else went on a break.
๐ Vocabulary
5 wordsโญ Key Sentence
A dake / A shika...nai
Only A / Nothing but A
- Pattern: [A] ใ ใ / [A] ใใ [Negative]
- Meaning: Expressing that something is limited to A.
Ringo ga hitotsu dake arimasu.
There is only one apple.
Ringo ga hitotsu shika arimasen.
There is nothing but one apple (emphasizing scarcity).
๐ Explanation
Both ใ ใ (dake) and ใใใใชใ (shika...nai) are used to express limits, but they carry different nuances.
1.
ใ ใ is a neutral limit. It can be used with both positive and negative verbs.
2.
ใใ must always be paired with a negative verb. It emphasizes that the amount is surprisingly small or insufficient.
100-en dake arimasu.
= 'I have just 100 yen.'
100-en shika arimasen.
= 'I have only 100 yen (and it's not enough).'
๐ Quiz
Which sentence correctly uses ใใ to mean 'There is only water'?