Not only… but also: 〜ばかりでなく・〜だけでなく
plain form (Noun / な-adj without だ) + ばかりでなく・だけでなく、〜も
plain form (Noun / な-adj + な) + だけでなく・ばかりでなく、〜も: not only…, but also. だけじゃなく in speech, ばかりでなく more written; も can become まで or さえ.
In short
〜だけでなく、〜も means “not only…, but also”. ばかりでなく has the same meaning in a slightly more written register; in speech, people say だけじゃなく. The second part almost always contains も, or まで / さえ for emphasis.
- この店は、日本人だけでなく、外国人にも人気がある。このみせは、にほんじんだけでなく、がいこくじんにもにんきがある。This restaurant is popular not only with Japanese people, but with foreigners too.
- 彼は英語ばかりでなく、フランス語も話せる。かれはえいごばかりでなく、ふらんすごもはなせる。He speaks not only English, but French as well.
- 京都は春だけでなく、秋もきれいだ。きょうとははるだけでなく、あきもきれいだ。Kyoto is beautiful not only in spring, but in autumn too.
- このお祭りは、子どもだけじゃなく、大人も楽しめる。このおまつりは、こどもだけじゃなく、おとなもたのしめる。Not only children but adults too can enjoy this festival.
The basics
だけ (“only”) + でなく (“it isn't”) = “not only”. The sentence names a first item, then adds a second, introduced by も: “not only A, but also B”.
ばかりでなく works in exactly the same way; it just sounds a little more written or more careful.
It's popular not only with Japanese people, but with foreigners too.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- この本は、読むだけでなく、写真を見るのも楽しい。このほんは、よむだけでなく、しゃしんをみるのもたのしい。This book is fun not only to read, but for its photos too.
- お茶は、おいしいばかりでなく、体にもいい。おちゃは、おいしいばかりでなく、からだにもいい。Tea isn't just delicious, it's good for you too.
How to form it
だけでなく / ばかりでなく follow a noun, a verb or an い-adjective in the plain form, or a な-adjective with な. Never put だ in front. The noun's particle can stay: 外国人にも, 京都でも.
| Form | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜だけでなく | everyday | 春だけでなく、秋も |
| 〜だけじゃなく | spoken | 子どもだけじゃなく、大人も |
| 〜ばかりでなく | slightly more written | 英語ばかりでなく、フランス語も |
| な-adj + な + だけでなく | — | きれいなだけでなく |
- この町は静かなだけでなく、交通も便利だ。このまちはしずかなだけでなく、こうつうもべんりだ。This town isn't just quiet, it has good transport links too.
- 東京だけじゃなく、北海道にも行ってみたい。とうきょうだけじゃなく、ほっかいどうにもいってみたい。I'd like to go not only to Tokyo, but to Hokkaidō as well.
Strengthening with まで and さえ
Instead of も, you can use まで (“as far as”) or さえ (“even”) to stress that the second item is surprising. If the surprise is strong, ばかりか (next point) is a natural choice.
- 学生だけでなく、先生まで笑っていた。がくせいだけでなく、せんせいまでわらっていた。Not only the pupils, but even the teacher was laughing.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting も in the second part: 日本人だけでなく、外国人にも人気がある. Without も, the addition gets lost.
- Putting だ in front: “きれいだだけでなく” is wrong; say きれいなだけでなく.
- Mixing up ばかりでなく and ばかり on its own: 英語ばかり話す = “he speaks nothing but English”; 英語ばかりでなく = “not only English”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Biwako Line (Work and the economy) of the Kyoto lines.