Intermediate だけ ②: だけしか

About

Aside from expressing "only", だけ has two more advanced usages:

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  ① "As Y as you X"

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  ② "(～だけしか) "Only X, nothing else"

This entry concerns usage ②.

For usage ②, だけ can be combined with しか〜ない to create the 〜だけしか〜ない construct and create "only/just" statements with greater emphasis.

〜だけしか generally only attaches to nouns, with a few exceptions.

E.g. あんなに苦労くろうしたのに、これだけしかもらってない。 "Despite going through all that, this is all I got. Nothing else."

E.g. 時給じきゅうは1000円えんだけしか払はらってくれないみたい。 "It seems they only pay 1000 yen an hour, and that's it."

Exceptions are when だけしか follows the に or で particle:

E.g. 自分じぶんにだけしか見みえない事実じじつがある。 "There are truths that only you, yourself can see, and no one else."

E.g. カレールーでだけしかカレーを作つくったことがない。 "I've made curry before, but only using roux."

に and で may also come in between だけ and しか:

E.g. あの人ひとだけにしかわからないこと。 "Something only that person can understand, and no one else."

E.g. カナダだけでしか見みえない景色けしきだ。 "It's scenery that you can only see in Canada, and nowhere else."

～(に・で)だけしか and ～だけ(に・で)しか only differ slightly in nuance. For more details, please refer to the main article.

Summary

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  だけ has two intermediate usages: ① "As Y as you X", ② "(～だけしか) "Only X, nothing else"

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  ～だけしか generally only attaches to nouns, with a few exceptions

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  だけしか may occasionally follow the に or で particle

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  The に・で particles may occasionally come in between だけ and しか