Noun しか~ない

Noun shika~nai

JLPT N4 Neutral Chapter 44: Degrees and limits, 2 of 5

Formation

Noun + しか + Negative Verb

Expresses 'only', 'nothing but', or 'no other'.

When to use

Paired with a negative verb for emphasis - "nothing but/only", stronger than だけ.

Explanation

The grammar point Noun しか~ない is used to emphasize the small quantity or exclusiveness of something. It can be translated as 'only', 'nothing but', or 'no other' in English. It is used with a negative verb to convey the meaning.

Example sentences

Exclusivity (Only / Nothing But)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.