~しかない
〜shika nai
JLPT N3 Neutral
Formation
Verb-casual + しかない, い-Adjective + しかない, な-Adjective + しかない, Noun + しかない
Express the idea of 'only', 'no other option but', 'nothing else but'.
When to use
"No other option but" - emphasizes lack of alternatives, not just restriction.
Explanation
The ~しかない grammar point is used to emphasize that there are no other options or possibilities, and the subject must follow a specified action or state. It can be translated as 'only', 'no other option but', or 'nothing else but' in English.
Example sentences
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There is only one way to solve this problem.
Kono mondai wo kaiketsu suru houhou wa hitotsu shika nai.
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If he leaves, there's nothing else to do but cry.
Kare ga dete ittara, naku shika nai.
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She has only one month left.
Kanojo ni wa ato ichigatsu shika nai.
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I have no choice but to trust you.
Boku ni wa kimi wo shinjiru shika nai.
Exclusivity (Only / Nothing But)
- Noun だけ〜〜dakeN5Indicates 'only', 'just', or 'merely'.
- Noun しか~ないNoun shika~naiN4Expresses 'only', 'nothing but', or 'no other'.
- ~だけしか~dake shikaN3Emphasizes the scarcity or insufficiency of something…
- Noun ばかり〜bakariN4Expresses 'only', 'nothing but', 'always', or 'just'.
- ~に過ぎない〜ni suginaiN2Expresses that something is 'just' or 'nothing more than'…
- ~に限り〜ni kagiriN2Expresses limitation; 'only', 'limited to', 'exclusive to'.
- ~にほかならない〜ni hoka naranaiN2Express that something is 'nothing but' or 'none other…
- ~ばかりだ〜bakari daN2Express a continuing state or negative tendency; 'just'…
- Noun を おいて他に Verb ない〜wo oite hoka ni〜naiN1Means 'apart from ~ there's nothing else,' implying the…
- ~のは Noun ぐらいのものだ〜no wa Noun gurai no mono daN1Conveys that 'only (Noun) is the case' or 'nothing but…
Corpus examples (60)
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Whether you like it or not, you'll have to do it.
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Either you or I have to go there.
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He has very little, if any, knowledge about art.
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Nothing but your love can save her now.
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All you can do is trust one another.
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There is only one book on the desk.
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There are only two primes between 10 and 14.
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There's only one shop that sells this book.
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The question permits of only one interpretation.
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There is only one pass over the mountain.
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You leave me no choice in the matter.
ベッドは1つしかないよ。
There's only one bed.
ひろしは困り果てているのよ。レポートを書くのに必要な一冊しかない本をなくしてしまったの。
Hiroshi is worn out with worry since he lost the only copy of the book he needed for his report.
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You have to go alone.
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But there's only one pair of chopsticks. What shall we do?
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There's only one copy of this document.
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One of us will have to go.
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There is only one bus every two hours.
ただでさえ奴は普段から仕事に遅れて来るくせに、酒まで飲んで来るなんて堪忍袋の緒が切れた。もう会社を辞めてもらうしかない。
It was bad enough that he usually came to work late, but coming in drunk was the last straw, and I'm going to have to let him go.
英語ができるようになりたいなら、毎日英語の勉強をするしかない。
If you want to learn English, studying English every day is non-negotiable.
-
I have only a small garden.
僕の学校では、看護科の校舎には男子トイレがないんで、別の校舎まで行くしかないんだ。
In my school, the nursing department's building has no men's bathrooms, so I don't have any choice other than to go to another building.
悪銭身につかず、というじゃない。結局は地道に稼ぐしかないと思うよ。
Ill-gotten gains are short-lived. The only way to make real money is to earn every penny.
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The only thing he's thinking about is seeing her.
荒唐無稽と皆に言われた彼のビジネスプランだけど、今となっては我々の不明を恥じるしかないのかね。
Every one of us who ridiculed his business plan as a bunch of hokum should be embarrassed we did.