Expressing Amounts

This lesson will cover various expressions used to express various degrees of amounts. For example, sentences like, “I only ate one”, “That was all that was left”, “There’s just old people here”, or “I ate too much” all indicate whether there’s a lot or little of something. Most of these expressions are made with particles and not as separate words as you see in English.

Indicating that’s all there is using 「だけ」

Vocabulary

1. りんご – apple
2. これ – this
3. それ – that
4. 食べる 【たべ・る】 (ru-verb) – to eat
5. この – this （abbr. of これの）
6. 歌 【うた】 – song
7. 歌う 【うた・う】 (u-verb) – to sing
8. その – that （abbr. of それの）
9. 人 【ひと】 – person
10. 好き 【す・き】 (na-adj) – likable; desirable
11. 販売機 【はん・ばい・き】 – vending machine
12. 五百円玉 【ご・ひゃく・えん・だま】 – 500 yen coin
13. 小林 【こ・ばやし】 – Kobayashi (last name)
14. 返事 【へん・じ】 – reply
15. 来る 【く・る】 (exception) – to come
16. 準備 【じゅん・び】 – preparations
17. 終わる 【お・わる】 (u-verb) – to end
18. ここ – here
19. 名前 【な・まえ】 – name
20. 書く 【か・く】 (u-verb) – to write
21. いい (i-adj) – good

The particle 「だけ」 is used to express that that’s all there is. Just like the other particles we have already learned, it is directly attached to the end of whichever word that it applies to.

Examples

1. りんごだけ。
   Just apple(s) (and nothing else).
2. これとそれだけ。
   Just that and this (and nothing else).

When one of the major particles are also applied to a word, these particles must come after 「だけ」. In fact, the ordering of multiple particles usually start from the most specific to the most general.

1. それだけは、食べないでください。
   Just don’t eat that. (Anything else is assumed to be OK).
2. この歌だけを歌わなかった。
   Didn’t sing just this song.
3. その人だけが好きだったんだ。
   That person was the only person I liked.

The same goes for double particles. Again 「だけ」 must come first.

• この販売機だけでは、五百円玉が使えない。
  Cannot use 500 yen coin in just this vending machine.

With minor particles such as 「から」 or 「まで」, it is difficult to tell which should come first. When in doubt, try googling to see the level of popularity of each combination. It turns out that 「からだけ」 is almost twice as popular as 「だけから」 with a hit number of 90,000 vs. 50,000.

• 小林さんからだけは、返事が来なかった。
  A reply has not come from only Kobayashi-san.

Unlike some particles, you can directly attach 「だけ」 to verbs as well.

1. 準備が終わったから、これからは食べるだけだ。
   Since the preparations are done, from here we just have to eat.
2. ここに名前を書くだけでいいですか？
   Is it ok to just write [my] name here?

Using 「のみ」 as a formal version of 「だけ」

Vocabulary

1. この – this （abbr. of これの）
2. 乗車券 【じょう・しゃ・けん】 – passenger ticket
3. 発売 【はつ・ばい】 – sale
4. 当日 【とう・じつ】 – that very day
5. 有効 【ゆう・こう】 – effective
6. アンケート – survey
7. 対象 【たい・しょう】 – target
8. 大学生 【だい・がく・せい】 – college student

A particle that is essentially identical both grammatically and in meaning to 「だけ」 is 「のみ」. However, unlike 「だけ」, which is used in regular conversations, 「のみ」 is usually only used in a written context. It is often used for explaining policies, in manuals, and other things of that nature. This grammar really belongs in the advanced section since formal language has a different flavor and tone from what we have seen so far. However, it is covered here because it is essentially identical to 「だけ」. Just googling for 「のみ」 will quickly show the difference in the type of language that is used with 「のみ」 as opposed to 「だけ」.

1. この乗車券は発売当日のみ有効です。
   This boarding ticket is only valid on the date on which it was purchased.
2. アンケート対象は大学生のみです。
   The targets of this survey are only college students.

Indication that there’s nothing else using 「しか」

Vocabulary

1. これ – this
2. ある (u-verb) – to exist (inanimate)
3. 見る 【み・る】 (ru-verb) – to see
4. 今日 【きょう】 – today
5. 忙しい 【いそが・しい】 (i-adj) – busy
6. 朝ご飯 【あさ・ご・はん】 – breakfast
7. 食べる 【た・べる】 (ru-verb) – to eat
8. 全部 【ぜん・ぶ】 – everything
9. 買う 【か・う】 (u-verb) – to buy
10. ううん – no (casual)
11. 何【なに】 – what
12. もらう – to receive
13. 頑張る 【がん・ば・る】 (u-verb) – to try one’s best
14. こう – (things are) this way
15. なる (u-verb) – to become
16. 逃げる 【に・げる】 (ru-verb) – to escape; to run away
17. もう – already
18. 腐る 【くさ・る】 (u-verb) – to rot; to spoil
19. 捨てる 【す・てる】 (ru-verb) – to throw away

I carefully phrased the title of this section to show that 「しか」 must be used to indicate the lack of everything else. In other words, the rest of the sentence must always be negative.

• これしかない。
  There’s nothing but this.

The following is incorrect.

• これしかある。
  (Should be using 「だけ」 instead)

As you can see, 「しか」 has an embedded negative meaning while 「だけ」 doesn’t have any particular nuance.

1. これだけ見る。
   See just this.
2. これだけ見ない。
   Don’t see just this.
3. これしか見ない。
   Don’t see anything else but this.

Examples

• 今日は忙しくて、朝ご飯しか食べられなかった。
  Today was busy and couldn’t eat anything but breakfast.

Notice that unlike 「だけ」, it is necessary to finish off the sentence.

• 全部買うの？
  You’re buying everything?

1. ううん、これだけ。
   Nah, just this.
2. ううん、これしか買わない
   Nah, won’t buy anything else but this.
3. ううん、これしか。
   (Wrong, the sentence must explicitly indicate the negative.)

While the major particles always come last, it turns out that 「しか」 must come after 「から」 and 「まで」. A google search of 「からしか」 beats 「しかから」 by an overwhelming 60,000 to 600.

• アリスからしか何ももらってない。
  I didn’t receive anything except from Alice.

You can also use this grammar with verbs.

1. これから頑張るしかない！
   There’s nothing to do but try our best!
2. こうなったら、逃げるしかない。
   There no choice but to run away once it turns out like this.
3. もう腐っているから、捨てるしかないよ。
   It’s rotten already so there’s nothing to do but throw it out.

「っきゃ」, an alternative to 「しか」

Vocabulary

1. これ – this
2. 買う 【か・う】 (u-verb) – to buy
3. ある (u-verb) – to exist (inanimate)
4. こう – (things are) this way
5. なる (u-verb) – to become
6. もう – already
7. やる (u-verb) – to do

「っきゃ」 is another version of 「しか」 that means essentially the same thing and works exactly the same way. Just substitute 「しか」 with 「っきゃ」 and you’re good to go. This version is a bit stronger than 「しか」 in emphasis but it’s not used nearly as often so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I briefly cover it here just in case you do run into this expression.

Examples

1. これは買うっきゃない！
   There’s nothing but to buy this!
2. こうなったら、もうやるっきゃない！
   If things turn out like this, there nothing to do but to just do it!

Expressing the opposite of 「だけ」 with 「ばかり」

Vocabulary

1. 何 【なに／なん】 – what
2. おばさん – middle-aged lady
3. 嫌 【いや】 (na-adj) disagreeable; unpleasant
4. 崇 【たかし】 – Takashi (first name)
5. ～君 【～くん】 – name suffix
6. 漫画 【まん・が】 – comic book
7. 読む 【よ・む】 (u-verb) – to read
8. かっこ悪い 【かっこ・わる・い】 (i-adj) – unattractive; uncool
9. 彼 【かれ】 – he; boyfriend
10. 麻雀【マー・ジャン】 – mahjong
11. 直美 【なお・み】 – Naomi (first name)
12. 遊ぶ 【あそ・ぶ】 (u-verb) – to play
13. 最近 【さい・きん】 – recent; lately
14. 仕事 【し・ごと】 – job

「ばかり」 is used to express the condition where there’s so much of something to the point where there’s nothing else. Notice this is fundamentally different from 「しか」 which expresses a lack of everything else but the item in question. In more casual situations, 「ばかり」 is usually pronounced 「ばっかり」 or just 「ばっか」. For example, let’s say you went to a party to find, much to your dismay, the whole room filled with middle-aged women. You might say the following.

• 何だよ！おばさんばっかりじゃないか？
  What the? Isn’t it nothing but obasan?

Or perhaps a little more girly:

• いやだ。おばさんばっかり。
  Eww. It’s nothing but obasan.

Examples

• 崇君は漫画ばっかり読んでてさ。かっこ悪い。
  Takashi-kun is reading nothing but comic books… He’s so uncool.

It is quite common in casual speech to end midsentence like this. Notice 「読んでて」 is the te-form of 「読んでいる」 with the 「い」 dropped. We assume that the conclusion will come somewhere later in the story.

1. 彼は麻雀ばかりです。
   He’s nothing but mahjong. (He does nothing but play mahjong.)
2. 直美ちゃんと遊ぶばっかりでしょう！
   You’re hanging out with Naomi-chan all the time, aren’t you!
3. 最近は仕事ばっかだよ。
   Lately, it’s nothing but work.

Saying there’s too much of something using 「すぎる」

Vocabulary

1. 過ぎる 【す・ぎる】 (ru-verb) – to exceed; to pass
2. 食べる 【た・べる】 (ru-verb) – to eat
3. 飲む 【の・む】 (u-verb) – to drink
4. 太る 【ふと・る】 (u-verb) – to become fatter
5. 静か 【しず・か】 (na-adj) – quiet
6. 大きい 【おお・きい】 (i-adj) – big
7. 面白い 【おも・しろ・い】 (i-adj) – interesting
8. もったいない (i-adj) – wasteful
9. 情けない 【なさ・けない】 (i-adj) – pitiable
10. 危ない 【あぶ・ない】 (i-adj) – dangerous
11. 少ない 【すく・ない】 (i-adj) – few
12. 佐藤 【さ・とう】 – Satou (last name)
13. 料理 【りょう・り】 – cooking; cuisine; dish
14. 上手 【じょう・ず】 (na-adj) – skillful
15. また – again
16. お酒 【お・さけ】 – alcohol
17. 気 【き】 – mood; intent
18. つける – to attach
19. 気をつける – (expression) to be careful
20. トランク – trunk
21. 入る 【はい・る】 (u-verb) – to enter
22. 罠 【わな】 – trap
23. 時間 【じ・かん】 – time
24. 足りる 【た・りる】 (ru-verb) – to be sufficient
25. 何【なに】 – what
26. 出来る 【で・き・る】 (ru-verb) – to be able to do
27. 彼 【かれ】 – he; boyfriend
28. 彼女 【かの・じょ】 – she; girlfriend
29. 昨晩 【さく・ばん】 – last night
30. こと – event, matter
31. 全然 【ぜん・ぜん】 – not at all (when used with negative)
32. 覚える 【おぼ・える】 (ru-verb) – to memorize
33. それ – that

「すぎる」 is a regular ru-verb written 「過ぎる」 meaning, “to exceed”. When 「すぎる」 is attached to the end of other verbs and adjectives, it means that it is too much or that it has exceeded the normal levels. For verbs, you must directly attach 「すぎる」 to the stem of the verb. For example, 「食べすぎる」 means “to eat too much” and 「飲みすぎる」 means “to drink too much”. For adjectives, you just attach it to the end after you remove the last 「い」 from the i-adjectives (as usual). One more rule is that for both negative verbs and adjectives, one must remove the 「い」 from 「ない」 and replace with 「さ」 before attaching 「すぎる」. There is no tense (past or non-past) associated with this grammar. Since 「すぎる」 is a regular ru-verb, this grammar always results in a regular ru-verb.

Examples

1. 佐藤さんは料理が上手で、また食べ過ぎました。
   Satou-san is good at cooking and I ate too much again.
2. お酒を飲みすぎないように気をつけてね。
   Be careful to not drink too much, ok?
3. 大きすぎるからトランクに入らないぞ。
   It won’t fit in the trunk cause it’s too big, man.
4. 静かすぎる。罠かもしれないよ。
   It’s too quiet. It might be a trap, you know.
5. 時間が足りなさすぎて、何もできなかった。
   Due to too much of a lack of time, I couldn’t do anything.
6. 彼には、彼女がもったいなさすぎるよ。
   She is totally wasted on him (too good for him).

It is also common to change 「すぎる」 into its stem and use it as a noun.

Ａ：昨晩のこと、全然覚えてないな。
A: Man, I don’t remember anything about last night.

Ｂ：それは飲みすぎだよ。
B: That’s drinking too much.

Adding the 「も」 particle to express excessive amounts

Vocabulary

1. 昨日【きのう】 – yesterday
2. 電話 【でん・わ】 – phone
3. ～回 【～かい】 – counter for number of times
4. する (exception) – to do
5. 試験 【し・けん】 – exam
6. ため – for the sake/benefit of
7. ～時間 【～じ・かん】 – counter for span of hour(s)
8. 勉強 【べん・きょう】 – study
9. 今年 【こ・とし】 – this year
10. キロ – kilo
11. 太る 【ふと・る】 (u-verb) – to become fatter

When the 「も」 particle comes after some type of amount, it means that the amount indicated is way too much. For instance, let’s look at the next example.

• 昨日、電話三回もしたよ！
  I called you like three times yesterday!

Notice that the 「も」 particle is attached to the amount “three times”. This sentence implies that the speaker called even three times and still the person didn’t pick up the phone. We understand this to mean that three times are a lot of times to call someone.

1. 試験のために三時間も勉強した。
   I studied three whole hours for the exam.
2. 今年、十キロも太っちゃった！
   I gained 10 whole kilograms this year!

Using 「ほど」 to express the extent of something

Vocabulary

1. 程 【ほど】 – degree, extent
2. 今日 【きょう】 – today
3. 天気 【てん・き】 – weather
4. それ – that
5. 暑い 【あつ・い】 (i-adj) – hot
6. 寝る 【ね・る】 (ru-verb) – to sleep
7. 時間 【じ・かん】 – time
8. ある (u-verb) – to exist (inanimate)
9. 忙しい 【いそが・しい】 (i-adj) – busy
10. 韓国 【かん・こく】 – Korea
11. 料理 【りょう・り】 – cooking; cuisine; dish
12. 食べる 【たべ・る】 (ru-verb) – to eat
13. おいしい (i-adj) – tasty
14. なる (u-verb) – to become
15. 歩く 【ある・く】 (u-verb) – to walk
16. 迷う 【まよ・う】 (u-verb) – to get lost
17. 勉強 【べん・きょう】 – study
18. 頭 【あたま】 – head
19. いい (i-adj) – good
20. ハードディスク – hard disk
21. 容量 【よう・りょう】 – capacity
22. 大きい 【おお・きい】(i-adj) – big
23. もっと – more
24. たくさん – a lot (amount)
25. 曲 【きょく】 – tune
26. 保存 【ほ・ぞん】 – save
27. 出来る 【で・き・る】 (ru-verb) – to be able to do
28. 航空券 【こう・くう・けん】 – plane ticket
29. 安い 【やす・い】 (i-adj) – cheap
30. 限る 【かぎ・る】 (u-verb) – to limit
31. 文章 【ぶん・しょう】 – sentence; writing
32. 短い 【みじか・い】 (i-adj) – short
33. 簡単 【かん・たん】 (na-adj) – simple
34. 良い 【よ・い】 (i-adj) – good

The noun 「ほど」（程） is attached to a word in a sentence to express the extent of something. It can modify nouns as well as verbs as seen in the next example.

1. 今日の天気はそれほど暑くない。
   Today’s weather is not hot to that extent.
2. 寝る時間がないほど忙しい。
   Busy to the extent that there’s no time to sleep.

When you use this with conditionals, you can express something that translates into English as, “The more you [verb], the more…” The grammar is always formed in the following sequence: [conditional of verb] followed immediately by [same verb+ ほど]

• 韓国料理は食べれば食べるほど、おいしくなる。
  About Korean food, the more you eat the tastier it becomes.

The literal translation is, “About Korean food, if you eat, to the extent that you eat, it becomes tasty.” which essentially means the same thing. The example uses the 「ば」 conditional form, but the 「たら」 conditional will work as well. Since this is a general statement, the contextual 「なら」 conditional will never work. The decided 「と」 conditional won’t work very well here either since it may not always be true depending on the extent of the action.

1. 歩いたら歩くほど、迷ってしまった。
   The more I walked, the more I got lost.
2. 勉強をすればするほど、頭がよくなるよ。
   The more you study, the more you will become smarter.

You can also use this grammar with i-adjectives by using the 「ば」 conditional.

1. iPodは、ハードディスクの容量が大きければ大きいほどもっとたくさんの曲が保存できます。
   About iPod, the larger the hard disk capacity, the more songs you can save.
2. 航空券は安ければ安いほどいいとは限らない。
   It’s not necessarily the case that the cheaper the ticket, the better it is.

For na-adjectives, since you can’t use the 「ば」 conditional you have to resort to the 「なら」 conditional. Because it sounds strange to use the 「なら」 conditional in this fashion, you will hardly ever see this grammar used with na-adjectives. Since 「ほど」 is treated as a noun, make sure you don’t forget to use 「な」 to attach the noun to the na-adjective.

• 文章は、短ければ短いほど、簡単なら簡単なほどよいです。
  The shorter and simpler the sentences, the better it is.

Using 「～さ」 with adjectives to indicate an amount

Vocabulary

1. 高い 【たか・い】 (i-adj) – high; tall; expensive
2. 低い 【ひく・い】 (i-adj) – short
3. 穏やか 【おだ・やか】 (na-adj) – calm, peaceful
4. この – this （abbr. of これの）
5. ビル – building
6. 何 【なに／なん】 – what
7. 犬 【いぬ】 – dog
8. 聴覚 【ちょう・かく】 – sense of hearing
9. 敏感 【びん・かん】 (na-adj) – sensitive
10. 人間 【にん・げん】 – human
11. 比べる 【くら・べる】 (ru-verb) – to compare
12. はるか – far more
13. 上 【うえ】 – above

We will now learn how to add 「さ」 to adjectives to indicate an amount of that adjective. For example, we can attach 「さ」 to the adjective for “high” in order to get “height”. Instead of looking at the height, we can even attach 「さ」 to the adjective for “low” to focus on the amount of lowness as opposed to the amount of highness. In fact, there is nothing to stop us from using this with any adjective to indicate an amount of that adjective. The result becomes a regular noun indicating the amount of that adjective.

Examples

1. このビルの高さは何ですか？
   What is the height of this building?
2. 犬の聴覚の敏感さを人間と比べると、はるかに上だ。
   If you compare the level of sensitivity of hearing of dogs to humans, it is far above.

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