A sumo wrestling match

Activities: How to say "only" in Japanese?

By: Mayumi Ito
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These activities are part of our Japanese Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Activity 1: Chores

The summer break is winding down. Before leaving for work in the morning, Mrs. Miyazaki gave her three teen kids (Satsuki, Mei, and Sosuke) a to-do list. Have they done their chores? Let’s find out by completing the sentences below.

今日やること[kyō yaru koto](to do list for today)

  • 洗たく[sentaku](laundry)

  • そうじ:リビングルーム・おふろ場
    [sōji: ribingurūmu, ofuroba](cleaning: living room, bathroom)

  • 庭の水やり[niwa no mizuyari](watering the garden)

  • 猫と犬のえさやり[neko to inu no esayari](feeding the cats and the dog)

  • 犬の散歩[inu no sanpo](taking the dog for a walk)

  • 買い物:牛乳・たまご・食パン・シャンプー
    [kaimono: gyūnyū, tamago, shokupan, shanpū](shopping: milk, eggs, a loaf of bread, shampoo)

よろしくね!ママより 😘[Yoroshiku ne! Mama yori](Thank you! From Mom)

Fill the blanks using one of these particles: だけ[dake] / しか[shika]

  • さつき(Satsuki):

    午前中は洗たくしました。
    Gozenchū wa sentaku ___ shimashita.
    I only did laundry in the morning.

    そうじはまだリビングルームしていません。
    Sōji wa mada ribingu ___ shite imasen.
    As for cleaning, I haven’t done anywhere except the living room.

    これからおふろ場をそうじします。
    Korekara ofuroba o sōji shimasu.
    I’m going to clean the bathroom now.

  • メイ(Mei):

    寝ぼうしたので、午前中は庭の水やりできませんでした。Nebō shita node, gozenchū wa niwa no mizuyarii ___ dekimasendeshita.
    Because I overslept, I couldn’t do anything but water the garden in the morning.

    昼ごはんのあと買い物に行きましたが、シャンプー買うのを忘れました。
    Hirugohan no ato kaimono ni ikimashita ga, shanpū ___ kau no o wasuremashita.
    I went shopping after lunch, but I forgot to buy shampoo.

    それで弟に買ってきてもらいました。
    Sorede otōto ni kattekite moraimashita.
    So I had my younger brother go buy one for me.

  • 宗介(Sōsuke):

    朝はサッカー部の練習があったので、猫と犬のえさやりして家を出ました。Asa wa sakkābu no renshū ga atta node, neko to inu no esayari ___ shite ie o demashita.
    In the morning, I had a soccer team practice, so I just fed the cats and the dog and left home.

    午後は姉に頼まれたので、犬の散歩に行ったとき、コンビニに寄りました。
    Gogo wa ane ni tanomareta node, inu no sanpo ni itta toki, konbini ni yorimashita.
    Since my elder sister asked me, I stopped by the convenience store while walking our dog.

    シャンプー買わなかったので、ちょっと恥ずかしかったです。
    Shanpū ___ kawanakatta node, chotto hazukashikatta desu.
    Since I didn’t buy anything but shampoo, I was a little embarrassed.

Activity 2: Hobbies

Mrs. Miyazaki is having lunch with her coworker. Their talk turns to her children. Let’s see what Mrs. Miyazaki has to say about them.

What are the children doing in their free time?
さつき(Satsuki)
メイ(Mei)
宗介(Sōsuke)
A stack of open books, the topmost of which has its pages fanned out.
A person reading a manga from their collection.
Two people playing a sports game on a Playstation.

Fill the blanks using one of these particles: だけ[dake] / しか[shika] / ばかり[bakari]

  • Coworker:

    お子さんたち、よくお手伝いしているそうですね。
    Okosantachi, yoku otetsudai shiteiru sō desu ne.
    I’ve heard your children are helping you a lot.

  • Mrs. Miyazaki:

    ええ、でも夏休みのあいだね。
    Ē, demo natsuyasumi no aida ___ ne.
    Yes, but it’s only during the summer break.

    ふだんは上の子に頼っているから。
    Fudan wa ue no ko ni ___ tayotte iru kara.
    Usually, I depend only on the eldest.

  • Coworker:

    手伝いのほかは何をしているんですか。
    Tetsudai no hoka wa nani o shiteiru ndesu ka.
    What are they doing besides their chores?

  • Mrs. Miyazaki:

    さつきは本読んでいるみたいよ。
    Satsuki wa hon ___ yondeiru mitai yo.
    It seems Satsuki is reading a lot of books.

    メイはまんが読まないの。将来、まんが家になりたいんですって。
    Mei wa manga ___ yomanai no. Shōrai, mangaka ni naritai ndesutte.
    Mei only reads manga. She says she wants to be a manga artist in the future.

  • Coworker:

    へえ、宗介君はどうですか。
    Hē, Sōsuke kun wa dō desu ka.
    Oh, how about Sosuke?

  • Mrs. Miyazaki:

    あの子はサッカーの練習のあとは、ビデオゲームしているみたい。
    Anoko wa sakkā no renshū no ato wa, bideogēmu ___ shiteiru mitai.
    Sounds like he is only playing video games after his soccer practice.

    夏休みもあと2週間ないから、宿題をしなければいけないんだけどね。
    Natsuyasumi mo ato nishūkan ___ nai kara, shukudai o shinakereba ikenai nda kedo ne.
    The summer break will end in two weeks, so he is supposedly doing his homework, you know.

Activity 3: Forming sentences

Complete a sentence using the words given in the word bank. Caution: Each word bank has one unnecessary word!

  • It’s hot every day so I’ve been eating only cold foods.

    ばかり (bakari)
    食べています (tabete imasu)
    しか (shika)
    冷たいもの (tsumetai mono)

    毎日暑いので、
    Mainichi atsui node, ___.

  • I only told my mother about it.

    に (ni)
    ばかり (bakari)
    母 (haha)
    話しました (hanashimashita)
    だけ (dake)

    そのことは
    Sono koto wa ___.

  • We can buy this nowhere but in Japan.

    しか (shika)
    で (de)
    買えません (kaemasen)
    ばかり (bakari)
    日本 (Nihon)

    これは
    Kore wa ___.

  • Tom is always telling a lot of jokes.

    だけ (dake)
    言っている (itteiru)
    ばかり (bakari)
    冗談 (jōdan)

    トムさんはいつも
    Tomu san wa itsumo ___.

  • No one but only one customer came today.

    来なかった (konakatta)
    しか (shika)
    ばかり (bakari)
    ひとり (hitori)
    だけ (dake)

    今日はお客が
    Kyō wa okyaku ga ___.

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