Meaning & usage
ばかりに marks a single cause that led to a bad or regretted result, with the sense of only because of that action. It follows the past tense plain form of a verb, as in 急いだばかりに or 油断したばかりに. The following clause must express an unfortunate outcome, so it cannot be used for neutral explanations or positive results.
Example sentences 7
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急いだばかりに、財布を忘れてしまった。
Just because I was in a hurry, I ended up forgetting my wallet.
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安いものを選んだばかりに、すぐ壊れた。
Just because I chose the cheap one, it broke right away.
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少し飲んだばかりに、電車を乗り過ごした。
Just because I drank a little, I rode past my stop.
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息子が返事を遅らせたばかりに、話がこじれた。
Just because my son delayed his reply, things got complicated.
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友達が一言言ったばかりに、けんかになった。
Just because my friend said one thing, it turned into a fight.
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油断したばかりに、試合に負けてしまった。
Just because we let our guard down, we lost the game.
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照れたばかりに、素直にお礼が言えなかった。
Just because I felt shy, I could not say thank you properly.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 4 past exam questions.
