Expressing many and not many with も, しか, and だけ
Published
ふりがな:
Using も, だけ, and しか can add nuance to amounts of things.
Many using も
By inserting も after a number or counter, it adds the nuance that the speaker feels that the quantity is large.
Example:
- Mark has ten cars.
- マークさんは車を十台も持っています。
Not many using だけ
Similar to も, you can use だけ after a number or counter to add nuance. In this case the nuance added is that the speaker feels the quantity is low.
Example:
- Mark only has one pen.
- マークさんはペンを一つだけ持っています。
Not many using しか
Similar to だけ, you can use しか after a number or counter to add the nuance that the speaker feels the quantity is low. Unlike だけ, しか requires that the verb used is in its negative form.
Example:
- Mark only has one pen.
- マークさんはペンを一つしか持っていません。
I'd entirely forgotten how to use しか since early on I'd learnt about だけ, which doesn't negate the verb (making it easier for me to remember).