What it means
ばかり expresses restriction or a sense of recentness. After a noun, it means “only” or “nothing but,” emphasizing that the set or content consists almost entirely of that noun. After a verb in the て-form with いる, it means that someone does nothing but perform that action, often suggesting criticism or an undesirable lack of variety. After a verb in the た-form, it means that the action was completed only a short time ago. The actual length of time depends on the speaker’s perspective and context.
Usage note
ばかり can resemble だけ, but ばかり often adds stronger emphasis, criticism, or the implication that something is overwhelmingly limited to one thing. In the pattern verb-たばかり, it refers to a recent action and does not mean that the action happened immediately before speaking.
How to use it
この弁当は野菜ばかりです。
This lunch box contains nothing but vegetables.
弟はゲームをしてばかりいます。
My younger brother does nothing but play games.
私は今、駅に着いたばかりです。
I have just arrived at the station.
この弁当は野菜ばかりだ。
This lunch box contains nothing but vegetables.
弟はゲームをしてばかりいる。
My younger brother does nothing but play games.
私は今、駅に着いたばかりだ。
I have just arrived at the station.
Example sentences
弟は休日になると、朝から晩までゲームをしてばかりいる。
Whenever it is a holiday, my younger brother does nothing but play games from morning until night.
新しい職場では、まだ覚えたばかりの仕事が多いです。
At my new workplace, there are still many tasks I have only just learned.
この図書館の展示は、地域の歴史に関する資料