What it means
ばかり expresses restriction, meaning that something is the only thing present, chosen, or done, often with the nuance of “nothing but” or “all that.” It commonly follows a noun before a verb, a て-form followed by いる, or a dictionary-form verb followed by だ. The last two patterns can suggest repeated or exclusive behavior and may imply criticism when the action is undesirable.
Usage note
ばかり is different from だけ in some contexts: ばかり often emphasizes an excessive or conspicuous concentration on one thing, while だけ is more neutral. Also, the pattern dictionary-form verb + ばかりだ can sometimes mean that a situation is continually moving in one direction, so context is necessary.
How to use it
彼は甘い物ばかり食べます。
He eats nothing but sweets.
彼は会議で言い訳をするばかりです。
All he does at meetings is make excuses.
妹は休日に漫画を読んでばかりいます。
My younger sister does nothing but read manga on her days off.
彼は甘い物ばかり食べる。
He eats nothing but sweets.
彼は会議で言い訳をするばかりだ。
All he does at meetings is make excuses.
妹は休日に漫画を読んでばかりいる。
My younger sister does nothing but read manga on her days off.
Example sentences
弟は休日になると、ゲームをしてばかりいます。
Whenever it is a day off, my younger brother does nothing but play video games.
図書館では専門書ばかりを借りる学生も少なくありません。
At libraries, there are also quite a few students who borrow nothing but specialized books.
新しい店では、地元の野菜ばかりを使っています。
At the new restaurant, they use nothing but locally grown vegetables.
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