唯一、たった… 14 Ways to Say Only in Japanese
The word only in English has a wide-range of meanings. It shows up as an adjective, adverb, and conjunction. As a result, it is tricky translating it correctly from English to Japanese. For that reason, there are several ways to say only in Japanese.
INDEX
Only as a Particle in Japanese
First, particles are words in Japanese that are similar to prepositions such as in, out, above, after, for, and without in English. The only difference is they come after the word they modify. だけ、のみ、しか、and きり are particles that all mean only.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/だけ()
This is the most common word for only. So, you can say だけ for expressing a limit. This can be for anything, people, amounts, space, or whatever
この人だけ、一時間だけ、一回だけ
このひとだけ、いちじかんだけ、いっかいだけ
only this person, only one hour, only one time
だけ combines with other words to make phrases that have a variety of meanings.
できるだけ…、…だけあって、
as much as possible, just as expected for…
That is beyond what we are talking about here but just know that だけ is the most versatile word presented here.
のみ()
のみ is more restricted than だけ. It is less common than だけ and shows up more in writing than speech.
しか()
しか is a special word. It also comes with the negative, ない. For instance, the two sentences below both mean only this.
これだけだ、これしかない
きり()
People use きり more in speaking than writing. You can think of it as a conversational word. Often it gets an extra っ (small tsu). So, you could say これきり or これっきり. Both mean only this.
Finally, きり is a word meaning only that is even more restricted than のみ. It only really shows up in a few words.
これきり – only this, never again
それきり– only that, never again
一人きり(ひとりきり) – only by one’s self, alone
二人きり(ふたりきり) – only the two of them
Adjectives Meaning Only in Japanese
These are not actually considered adjectives in Japanese. But, functionally they work just like adjectives.
The following words can be used on their own. However, they are often used in combination with the previous words to add more emphasis or deeper meaning.
唯一の (ゆいいつの、) – Just This One
唯一 means just this one or only this one and nothing else. It is a word used to emphasize that this is all there is.
唯一の生存者
ゆいいつのせいぞんしゃ
The one and only survivor
The sole survivor
たった・ほんの・わずか – Merely This Much
たった、ほんの、and わずか all mean a mere or small amount of something.
たった() is used with numbers, amounts, time, or anything that is quantifiable.
たった一つ、たったの一時間だけで
たったひとつ、たったのいちじかんだけで
only one, within only one hour
ほんの() means merely this much with numbers and amounts. If you are taking anything else, it would still mean only this. In both situations, ほんの is used to say that something is insignificant or unremarkable.
ほんの少し
ほんのすこし
only a little bit
ほんの子供
ほんのこども
only a child
a mere child
わずか() is very close to ほんの. It has more of a feeling of a little bit though. It can even be used together with ほんの.
ほんのわずかな差異
ほんのわずかなさい
only a little difference
ただ・単なる(たんなる) – Nothing More Than
ただ() and 単なる() mean pretty much the same thing. They both can be translated as this and nothing more. The main difference is that ただ is more common than 単なる which is more of a literary word.
For example, the words refer to something that is common, simple, or does not require more thought.
ただの人間だ・単なる人間だ
ただのにんげんだ・たんなるにんげんだ
nothing more than a person
ただ can also be used like an adverb.
ただ時間がかかるだけ
ただじかんがかかるだけ
it only takes time
Just, Merely, Nothing More than, and other ways to say Only in Japanese
These last four words deserved honorable mention. Their meaning is much more than only only in Japanese. But they are fairly common and will often be translated from English to Japanese as only.
たかが – Insignificantly just
たかが() is an adverb meaning just or only. You say it in phrases where something is seen as too insignificant to put so much effort into. In other words to tell someone they are making a big deal out of something small or ridiculous.
そんなに気にしなくていいよ。たかが映画だし。
そんなにきにしなくていいよ。たかがえいがだし。
don’t worry so much. It is only a movie
…に過ぎない – No More Than…
に過ぎない(), This expression is also a way to say something is not worth extra fuss. So, we could take the previous phrase and say something like the following:
そんなに気にしなくていいよ。ただの映画に過ぎない。
そんなにきにしなくていいよ。ただのえいがにすぎない。
don’t worry so much. It is only a movie
ばかり – Only or All the Time
ばかり() or ばっかり is a complex word with many meanings. I will not go into them here but it can also mean only in the right context.
一日中、寝てばっかり
ついたちじゅう、ねてばっかり
only sleeping all day / doing nothing but sleeping all day
カレーばっかりでなく、たまにラーメンも食べたいなあ
I don’t only want to eat curry all the time, sometimes I would also like ramen
さえ – At Least, If only, As long as
さえ() is the last word I am presenting here. It is used most of the time in conditional sentences. The closest translation from Japanese to English is probably even, or at least.
命さえあれば大丈夫
いのちさえあればだいじょうぶ
If at least I am alive I will be fine
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
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