Not only, but even: 〜ばかりか
plain form (Noun / な-adj without だ) + ばかりか、〜も・まで・さえ
plain form (Noun / な-adj + な) + ばかりか、〜も・まで・さえ: not only…, but even. A surprising second item; written register; never an order at the end.
In short
〜ばかりか、〜まで（も・さえ） is a stronger version of “not only… but also”: the second item is surprising, unexpected, and goes further than the first (子どもばかりか大人まで夢中だ). It's a rather written register, and never ends with an order or an invitation.
- このゲームは、子どもばかりか大人まで夢中になっている。このげーむは、こどもばかりかおとなまでむちゅうになっている。This game has not only children but even adults hooked.
- 彼は漢字ばかりか、ひらがなさえ書けない。かれはかんじばかりか、ひらがなさえかけない。He can't write kanji, or even hiragana.
- 雨が降ったばかりか、雪まで降ってきた。あめがふったばかりか、ゆきまでふってきた。Not only did it rain, it even started snowing.
- その店は、おいしくないばかりか、とても高い。そのみせは、おいしくないばかりか、とてもたかい。That restaurant isn't good, and on top of that it's very expensive.
The basics
ばかりか, like ばかりでなく, adds a second item to the first. But it stresses the surprise: the second item is stronger, more unexpected. It's English “not only…, but even”.
That's why the second part very often contains まで (“as far as”) or さえ (“even”), rather than a simple も.
This game has not only children but even adults hooked.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 風邪をひいたばかりか、熱まで出てしまった。かぜをひいたばかりか、ねつまででてしまった。I caught a cold, and I've even got a fever.
- この本は日本ばかりか、外国でもよく読まれている。このほんはにほんばかりか、がいこくでもよくよまれている。This book is widely read not only in Japan, but even abroad.
How to form it
ばかりか follows a noun, a verb or an い-adjective in the plain form, or a な-adjective with な (never だ). The second part takes も, まで or さえ.
| Before ばかりか | Example | Second part |
|---|---|---|
| noun | 子どもばかりか | 大人まで |
| verb (plain) | 雨が降ったばかりか | 雪まで降ってきた |
| い-adjective | おいしくないばかりか | とても高い |
| な-adjective + な | 不便なばかりか | 値段も高い |
- この部屋は不便なばかりか、とても寒い。このへやはふべんなばかりか、とてもさむい。This room isn't practical, and on top of that it's very cold.
ばかりか, ばかりでなく, だけでなく
だけでなく: neutral, everyday addition. ばかりでなく: same meaning, a little more written. ばかりか: addition with surprise or emphasis, written register. For a plain list with no surprise, ばかりか is too strong.
| Form | Nuance | Register |
|---|---|---|
| だけでなく、〜も | neutral addition | everyday |
| ばかりでなく、〜も | neutral addition | slightly written |
| ばかりか、〜まで・さえ | surprising, stronger addition | written |
- 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.
Never an order or invitation at the end
ばかりか states a fact. So you can't end the sentence with an order, a request or an invitation (〜てください, 〜ましょう). In that case, use だけでなく.
- 子どもだけでなく、大人も来てください。こどもだけでなく、おとなもきてください。Not just children: adults, come along too!
Common mistakes
- Using it for a neutral list: “京都は春ばかりか秋もきれいだ” sounds overblown; だけでなく fits better.
- Ending with an order or an invitation: “子どもばかりか大人も来てください” is wrong; say だけでなく.
- Mixing up ばかりか and ばかり on its own: 漢字ばかり書く = “I write nothing but kanji”; 漢字ばかりか = “not only kanji”.
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.