You probably know ばかり means "only/nothing but," but at the N2 level, ばかり can also express cause-and-effect and escalation — completely different meanings.
ばかりに: Just because... (self-inflicted regret)
「ばかりに」means just because of this one thing, a bad result followed. The speaker often feels regret or frustration:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ちゃんと体に気をつけていないばかりに、こんなにひどい病気になったのだ。 | Just because I didn't take care of my health, I ended up this sick. |
| 一言多かったばかりに、彼女に嫌われてしまった。 | Just because I said one word too many, she ended up disliking me. |
| 地図を見なかったばかりに、3時間も迷ってしまった。 | Just because I didn't check the map, I was lost for three hours. |
Connection: Verb plain form + ばかりに; い-adj + ばかりに; な-adj + な + ばかりに
Key Features of ばかりに
- The following clause is always a negative result
- The cause is usually something the speaker could have avoided
- Carries a "if only I hadn't..." sense of regret
- Similar to せいで, but ばかりに emphasizes a small cause leading to a serious consequence
| Comparison | ばかりに | せいで |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Regret / self-inflicted | Blame / attribution |
| Cause | Usually avoidable small things | Any negative cause |
| Register | Slightly literary | Universal |
ばかりか: Not only... but even (escalation)
「ばかりか」means not only A, but even B, with a stronger emphasis than だけでなく:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| その母親は自分の子供を虐待するばかりか、その過程をネットにアップロードして楽しんでいた。 | That mother not only abused her child, but even uploaded the process online for fun. |
| 彼は遅刻するばかりか、謝りもしなかった。 | He not only arrived late, but didn't even apologize. |
| 成績が下がったばかりか、学校をサボるようにもなった。 | Not only did grades drop, they even started skipping school. |
Connection: Verb plain form + ばかりか; noun + ばかりか
ばかりか vs だけでなく
| Comparison | ばかりか | だけでなく |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Stronger, often with surprise/dismay | Neutral statement |
| Second clause | B is more extreme than A | A and B are parallel |
| Register | Slightly literary/formal | Universal |
ばかりか implies the second clause is more extreme or outrageous — each step worse than the last.
The ばかり Family Quick Reference
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ばかり | Only / nothing but | 肉ばかり食べる |
| ばかりに | Just because... (regret) | 油断したばかりに |
| ばかりか | Not only... but even | 遅刻するばかりか |
| ばかりでなく | Not only... but also | 歌ばかりでなく |
Summary
- ばかりに = just because of this one thing, a bad result followed (self-inflicted regret)
- ばかりか = not only A, but even B (escalation, B is worse than A)
- ばかりに always leads to negative results from avoidable causes
- ばかりか is stronger than だけでなく, often with surprise or dismay
Practice
1. Complete with ばかりに:
嘘をついた____、友達に信用されなくなった。
Show answer
嘘をついたばかりに、友達に信用されなくなった。 Just because I lied, my friends stopped trusting me. (self-inflicted cause-and-effect)
2. What's the tonal difference between「遅れたばかりか」and「遅れただけでなく」?
Show answer
- 遅れたばかりか: Not only were they late, (what follows is even worse) — carries surprise or dismay
- 遅れただけでなく: Not only were they late, (neutral continuation)
- ばかりか implies what comes next is more extreme or outrageous than being late.
3. Which type of ばかり is used here?
田中さんは甘いものばかり食べている。
Show answer
This is the basic ばかり = "only/nothing but." Tanaka eats nothing but sweets. It's not ばかりに (cause-effect) or ばかりか (escalation).