So what’s the difference? Both phrases have a negative connotation and both can be used to say there are (too) many of something.

The most important distinction is that だらけ refers to something is covered in many individual things, whereas ばかり suggests only one from many possibilities.

怪我して体が傷だらけだった。
To have an accident and be covered in bruises.

怪我して体が傷ばかりだった。
(Sounds unnatural—what else could you be covered in after an accident?).

You May Also Like

The Directional Particle (へ)

The directional particle へ could be said to be a more literary version of the target particle に…

Counters in Japanese

Counters “count” things. English doesn’t have counters. We just say the number to count objects, people, animals, e.g.…

Honorifics in Japanese: A Complete Introduction to Keigo, Sonkeigo, and Kenjogo

Honorifics play a huge role in the Japanese language. They define underlying power dynamics and help the speaker…

Creating Partial Lists (や, など, とか)

We know we can connect nouns with the と particle like so: 野菜やさいと 魚さかなと 牛乳ぎゅうにゅうと 水みず。 Vegetables and fish and milk…