Just (だけ)

だけ is the most basic way of expressing “only” or “just”, e.g. I’ll just have one drink.

ひとつだけ。

Just one.

私わたしはビールを一杯いっぱいだけ飲のみます。

I’ll just have one drink.

The object particle is often omitted when だけ is used.

私わたしはただのウエートレスだけじゃありません。

I’m not just a waitress.

だけ can also be added to verbs.

カメラの操作そうさは簡単かんたんです。ボタンを押おすだけです。

The camera is easy to operate. Just push the button.

血ちを見みるだけで気絶きぜつします。

Faint at just the sight of blood.

Nothing More Than (しか〜ない)

The particle しか is used with the negative to express that you have nothing more than that thing.

チケットが二枚にまいあります。

I have two tickets.

チケットが二枚にまいしかありません。

I only have two tickets.

１０ドルがある。

I have $10.

１０ドルしかない。

I have just $10.

The insinuation is that the amount you have ($10, two tickets, etc.) is not enough or not a lot. Consequently, there are situations where we cannot use しか〜ない.

お願ねがいがひとつしかありません。(✗)

I have just one favour (to ask).

This is unnatural because the implication is that one favour is not enough—you should be asking for several things. In this case, we should use だけ.

お願ねがいがひとつだけあります。

I have just one favour (to ask).

しか can be appended to other particles.

お金かねは担当者たんとうしゃにしか払はらわない。

I will only pay the money to the person in charge.

Note the use of は to place emphasis on the money.

お父とうさんとしか話はなしません。

I will only speak to my father.

None, Many, Several

Below we look at ways to express none, many, and several.

も〜ない

Of course we already know how to express “none” with the negative.

本ほんがない。

I don’t have a book.

The structure も〜ない let’s us emphasise that we don’t even have one.

１ドルもない。

I don’t even have a dollar.

本ほんが一冊いっさつもない。

I don’t even have one book.

私わたしはビールを一杯いっぱいも飲のみません。

I won’t drink even one beer.

We can combine question words with も and a negative verb to create the pronouns anything, anywhere, nothing, etc.

何なにもない。

I have nothing.

どこにも行いかない。

I won’t go anywhere.

誰だれにも会あわない。

I won’t meet anyone.

誰だれとも話はなさない。

I won’t speak to anyone.

何なにとも思おもわない。

I don’t care at all [I don’t think anything].

も〜ある

Used with an affirmative verb the meaning is flipped, allowing us to emphasise that the quantity is a lot. It is the opposite of しか〜ない.

１億おくドルもある。

I have as much as one-hundred million dollars.

数時間すうじかんもかかると思おもうよ。

I think it will take as much as several hours.

彼女かのじょは１時間いちじかんも話はなしましたよ。

She spoke for a whole hour.

何【counter】も〜ある

Effectively, this expression is saying that no matter what the number you have at least that many to give us “countless” or—more simply—”many”.

本ほんが何冊なんさつもある。

I’ve got countless numbers of books.

昨日きのうはビールを何杯なんばいも飲のみました。

Yesterday, I drank so many beers.

お店みせのケーキが大人気だいにんきです。何個なんこも売うります。

That shops cakes are very popular—they sell untold numbers.

何【counter】か〜ある

With the question particle, the meaning becomes “several”. The use of か makes it an embedded question, as if the speaker is asking themselves what the quantity is.

テーブルの上うえには本ほんが何冊なんさつかあります。

There are several books on top of the table.

いくつかの提案ていあんを説明せつめいします。

I will explain several proposals.