How to tell them apart
だらけ attaches to a noun to show a surface or thing is covered in or filled with something, often undesirable, as in 砂だらけ or 間違いだらけ. ばかり marks that only that noun, action or state is present, as in ビールばかり飲む or 寝るばかりだ, and in ばかりでなく and ばかりか it means not only but also. The two are not interchangeable because だらけ cannot express only, and ばかり cannot express being covered with something.
- だらけ Use だらけ to describe something covered in or filled with something undesirable.
- ばかり Use ばかり to say merely or only that thing happens, or with ばかりでなく and ばかりか to say not only but also.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| だらけ darake | covered in or filled with something | N3 |
| ばかり bakari | Merely, exclusively, or used in ばかりでなく/ばかりか to mean 'not just... but also' | N3 |
だらけ darake
covered in or filled with something
だらけ shows that something is covered in or full of something, usually in an excessive and undesirable way. It attaches directly to a noun, as in 泥だらけ or 間違いだらけ, and it behaves like a na-adjective or noun, giving forms like だらけだ, だらけの and だらけで. It is not used for pleasant things, so avoid pairing it with words for desirable items.
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彼はすきだらけだ。
He is utterly unguarded.
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彼は金持ちではない。それどころか、彼は借金だらけだ。
He is not rich. On the contrary, he is deep in debt.
ばかり bakari
Merely, exclusively, or used in ばかりでなく/ばかりか to mean 'not just... but also'
ばかり marks something as the only thing involved, with a nuance of too much of one thing or repeated action, often showing disapproval. It follows a noun as in トマトばかり, or the te-form of a verb as in 遊んでばかりいる, and is common with いる to stress a bad habit. In the patterns ばかりでなく and ばかりか it means not only but also, and it can follow a noun, a verb in plain form, or an adjective, as in 医師であるばかりでなく.
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人生は面白おかしい事ばかりではない。
Life is not all beer and skittles.
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その教師は生徒のあら探しばかりしている。
The teacher is always finding fault with his students.
だらけ and ばかり are both JLPT N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.