Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
“Only just,” “just finished doing,” or “recently happened.”
🎯 Primary Function
To express that an action was completed very recently, emphasizing the feeling that the time elapsed is short from the speaker’s perspective.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (た form) + ばかり
N/A (The core pattern is Verb-based)
N/A (The core pattern is Verb-based)
N/A (Generally uses V-た form)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used commonly in polite speech (followed by です/ます) to indicate a recent event.
Informal Situations
Used very frequently in casual conversation (followed by だ or dropped).
Written Language
Used in narrative, casual writing, or non-academic reports.
Spoken Language
Highly common for discussing recent activities.
💡 Common Applications
Indicating a recently completed action.
Emphasizes the very short duration of time elapsed since the action was completed. The speaker feels the action is still fresh.
Example: ご飯を食べたばかりです。 (Gohan o tabeta bakari desu. – I just ate.)
Describing a new or inexperienced state.
Used to indicate that the subject is new to a situation or status, often implying a lack of experience or familiarity.
Example: 日本に来たばかりです。 (Nihon ni kita bakari desu. – I just came to Japan.)
Modifying a noun (Attributive use).
By adding the particle の, the phrase V-たばかり can modify the following noun.
Example: 買ったばかりのカメラ。(Katta bakari no kamera. – A camera I just bought.)
Frequency
High
Difficulty
Intermediate (Equivalent to JLPT N4/N3)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
家に着いたばかりで、すぐ寝ました。
Furigana: いえについたばかりで、すぐねました。
Romaji: Ie ni tsuita bakari de, sugu nemashita.
English: I just arrived home and immediately went to sleep.
Example #2
彼は新しい車を買ったばかりなので、まだ運転が緊張しています。
Furigana: かれはあたらしいくるまをかったばかりなので、まだうんてんがきんちょうしています。
Romaji: Kare wa atarashii kuruma o katta bakari nanode, mada unten ga kinchō shite imasu.
English: He just bought a new car, so he’s still careful when driving.
Example #3
赤ちゃんは先週生まれたばかりなので、まだとても小さいです。
Furigana: あかちゃんはせんしゅううまれたばかりなので、まだとてもちいさいです。
Romaji: Akachan wa senshū umareta bakari nanode, mada totemo chiisai desu.
English: The baby was just born last week, so he is still very small.
Example #4
ここに引っ越したばかりなので、まだ近所をよく知りません。
Furigana: ここにひっこしたばかりなので、まだきんじょをよくしりません。
Romaji: Koko ni hikkoshita bakari nanode, mada kinjo o yoku shirimasen.
English: I just moved here, so I don’t know the neighborhood well yet.
Example #5
あのプロジェクトを終えたばかりなので、やっと暇になりました。
Furigana: あのプロジェクトをおえたばかりなので、やっとひまになりました。
Romaji: Ano purojekuto o oeta bakari nanode, yatto hima ni narimashita.
English: I just finished that project, so I’m finally free.
Example #6
彼女は今朝そのニュースを聞いたばかりです。
Furigana: かのじょはけさそのニュースをきいたばかりです。
Romaji: Kanojo wa kesa sono nyūsu o kiita bakari desu.
English: She just heard the news this morning.
Example #7
起きたばかりで、まだ頭がボーッとしています。
Furigana: おきたばかりで、まだあたまがぼーっとしています。
Romaji: Okita bakari de, mada atama ga bōtto shite imasu.
English: Since I just woke up, my head is still fuzzy.
Example #8
薬を飲んだばかりなので、お酒は飲めません。
Furigana: くすりをのんだばかりなので、おさけはのめません。
Romaji: Kusuri o nonda bakari nanode, osake wa nomemasen.
English: I can’t drink alcohol because I just took medicine.
Example #9
これは今年オープンしたばかりの店です。
Furigana: これはことしオープンしたばかりのみせです。
Romaji: Kore wa kotoshi ōpun shita bakari no mise desu.
English: This is a newly opened shop this year.
Example #10
ケーキに触らないで！オーブンから出たばかりだよ。
Furigana: ケーキにさわらないで！オーブンからでたばかりだよ。
Romaji: Kēki ni sawaranaide! Ōbun kara deta bakari da yo.
English: Don’t touch the cake! It just came out of the oven.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Subjectivity of Time
The time frame of “recently” is subjective. While a minute ago is certainly V-たばかり, even events that occurred days, weeks, or sometimes months ago can be described using V-たばかり if the speaker still feels the event is fresh or significant.
Example: 彼が結婚したのは、一ヶ月前のことだ。 (Kare ga kekkon shita no wa, ikkagetsu mae no koto da. – He got married a month ago.)
Attributive Usage (Noun Modification)
When modifying a noun, ばかり is treated like a noun itself and requires the particle の (No) to connect to the following noun. (V-たばかりの Noun)
Example: 家に着いたばかりの私。 (Ie ni tsuita bakari no watashi. – Me, who just arrived home.)
Emphasis on Recency and Contrast
It is often used in contrast to something else, highlighting the recency of the action versus a current, unexpected state (often with particles like のに or から).
Example: 食べたばかりなのに、もうお腹が空いた。(Tabeta bakari nanoni, mō onaka ga suita. – Even though I just ate, I’m already hungry.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ V-ているばかり
✅ V-たばかり
A common error is confusing it with the V-ている form. Remember V-たばかり emphasizes completion, not ongoing action.
❌ V-るばかり (for ‘just finished’)
✅ V-たばかり
The V-る form (dictionary form) is used with ところ to mean ‘about to do,’ but it cannot be used with ばかり for the ‘just finished’ meaning.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite. The level of politeness is determined by the auxiliary verb/copula that follows (e.g., です/だ).
Social Situations: Appropriate in almost all social situations where you need to report a recent action or state.
Regional Variations: Standard across all regions of Japan.
🔍 Subtle Differences
V-たばかり vs. V-たところ
ところ (tokoro) emphasizes the exact moment the action finished, making the time frame much narrower (seconds or minutes ago). ばかり (bakari) has a wider, more subjective time frame (can be hours, days, or weeks ago).
When to use: Use V-たところ for actions completed moments ago (e.g., in a customer service context). Use V-たばかり for actions that are subjectively recent.
V-たばかり vs. Noun + の + ばかり
V-たばかり means “just finished doing V.” Noun + の + ばかり means “only N” or “nothing but N,” referring to extent or limitation, not time.
When to use: Use V-たばかり to discuss time. Use Noun + の + ばかり (e.g., 水ばかり) to emphasize exclusivity.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Always attach ばかり directly to the plain past tense (た form) of the verb. It can be followed by particles like だ, です, の, や, or で, as ばかり functions grammatically like a noun.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounce ばかり with a high-low-low pitch pattern (H-L-L, ba-KA-ri). Ensure a clear, crisp sound for the ‘ta’ preceding it.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ばかり as ‘freshly done.’ Visualize a clock hand that has only just moved away from the finished action. The ‘ば’ in ばかり sounds like ‘bar’—you’ve just crossed the bar/finish line.
Other Grammar
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