Qubyte Codes

Expressing many and not many with も, しか, and だけ

Published

ふりがな:

Using , だけ, and しか can add nuance to amounts of things.

Many using

By inserting 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(くるま)を十台()っています。

Not many using だけ

Similar to , 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()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()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).