The Particle のみ
The adverbial particle のみ1 shows up in literary-style language for the purpose of singling out one entity, translating neatly into English most of the time as “only.”
As opposed to the far more ubiquitous particle だけ, のみ is highly literary in tone. This is not to say, however, that it is “honorific” by nature.
i. 男性のみ
Male-only
ii. 補助金対象のみの見積書
Estimates for subsidy-eligible items only
iii. このアプリは、最初は、Androidのみの対応で、iPhoneは一足遅れて対応となった。
Initially, this app supported Android only, with support for iPhone following one step behind.
While it is largely synonymous with the particle だけ, のみ draws focus onto the individual thing that the predicate is being restricted to, as opposed to pertaining to “extent.”
The Adverbial Particle のみ
The primary function of the adverbial particle のみ is to denote restriction on a single entity, and that entity may be a thing or a state. The particle のみ appears most often after nominal phrases.
1. この村のみがミカンを生産している。
Only this village produces mandarin oranges.
2. 神のみぞ2知る。
Only God/the gods know(s).
3. 緊急の場合にのみ連絡せよ。
Contact only in case of an emergency.
4. 入場は招待者のみ可3
Admission by invitation only
5. 台風被害は深刻だったが、次第に整備され車の通れない箇所は一か所のみとなった。
Although the damage caused by the typhoon was severe, repairs were gradually carried out, and now only a single section (of road) remains impassable to vehicles.
6. 公認された博打のみが合法です。
Only authorized gambling is legal.
7. この村は、ミカンのみ（を）生産している。
This village produces only mandarin oranges.
8. 広島市は、日本に大使館のある国にのみ招待状を送っている。
Hiroshima City sends invitations only to countries that have an embassy in Japan.
9. 女性のみ（の）求人が可能です。
Job postings exclusively for women are permitted.
10. そのイタリア料理店は、イタリア郷土料理とイタリア産のワインのみを提供している。
That Italian restaurant serves only regional Italian cuisine and wines produced in Italy.
When the particle のみ appears after predicates, there is a strong sense of “all there is left to do is X” for verbal predicates. It is also often the case that the adverb ただ is added for emphasis at the start of the whole clause being restricted by のみ, but it is not required to show up in the sentence.
11. 水不足はいよいよ深刻だ。後はただ雨が降るのを待つのみだ。
The water shortage is all the more serious. The only thing to do is wait for it to rain.
12. 我々はただ忍耐があるのみだ。
All we have is our perseverance.
13. 選手はその指示に従うのみだ。
All the players must do is follow their (coach’s) instructions.
14. 考えている暇なんてない、ただ動くのみだ。
There is no time to think; just act.
15. やれることはやったので、後はただ結果を待つのみだ。
I have done everything I can. So now, all that I can do is wait for the results.
When のみ follows a predicate, the copula usually concludes the sentence, but when the copula is not present, the sentence becomes more emphatic, with のみ truly cutting things off.
16. 老兵は死なずただ消え去るのみ。
Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.
It is also often the case to see a noun whose meaning relates to an action be followed by ある with のみ to produce ～あるのみ（だ）, which can be viewed as a highly formalized alternative to ～するしかない.
17. 日々鍛錬あるのみ！
All there is to do is train—day in, day out!
18. 今はとにかく我慢あるのみ！
For now, all we can do is endure!
19. N1に合格するにはただ練習あるのみだ。
All there is to do to pass the N1 is to practice.
20. 過去のことは振り返らず、ただ前進あるのみだ。
Don’t look back at the past; simply move forward.
The particle のみ is exceedingly rare with adjectival predicates, and it cannot even attach to adjectival nouns without the intervention of である. For both adjectives and adjective nouns, のみ will usually be replaced with だけ. As is the case with verbal predicates, the adverb ただ usually accompanies のみ in this capacity.
21. ここの山河は、ただ美しいのみで、不産女
の風景といってもいい。
The mountains and rivers here are nothing but beautiful—one might even call it the landscape of barren women.
From 『宮本武蔵・水の巻』by 吉川英治.
22. ただ面白い｛のみ △・だけ ◎｝の映画には興味がない。
I have no interest in movies that are nothing but funny.
Note that in complete isolation for the sense of “X is just #,” のみ cannot be used with adjectival predicates at all.
23a. そのワインは高いのみだ。X
23b. そのワインは高いだけ（だ）。〇
Intended Meaning: That wine is just expensive.
のみ w/ Case Particles
When combined with the case particles が or を, のみ must come first, producing ～のみが and ～のみを. However, the dropping of が and を with のみ4 is quite common.
24. 遼平のみ（が）そのことに気づいていた。
Only Ryohei had noticed that.
25. 警察はその関係者のみ（を）逮捕した。
The police arrested only those individuals involved.
For many other case particles such as に, で, へ, と, and から, the particle のみ may come first or after the case particle. However, it is not always the case that both word orders are always correct, as the exact purpose does notably shift depending on its location to the preceding phrase. For all these case particle, のみ following after is the most common word order.
26. 初回は指定空港｛のみから・からのみ｝入国しなくてはいけない。
For your initial entry, you must enter through your designated airport only.
27.ランカウイ島｛のみへ・へのみ｝旅行予定の場合は、最低3日以上の滞在が必須となる。
If you are planning a trip exclusively to Langkawi Island, a minimum stay of at least three days is mandatory.
28. 中井は友人｛にのみ ・のみに｝伝えた。
Nakai told only his friends.
When のみ comes first, のみ becomes part of the definition of the nominal expression itself, then it is the predicate which determines what happens to this newly defined/restricted nominal. At times, this is grammatically necessary, which is true for the next three examples.
29. すぐに [WiFiのみ]に切り替えました。
I immediately switched to “Wi-Fi Only.”
30. [有害と認められる部分のみ]を、除きました。
(I) have removed only those parts deemed harmful.
If, however, のみ appears after a case particle, のみ affects the whole clause as an emphatic particle. In totality, this word order is preferred provided のみ is not an integral part of the nominal phrase at hand.
31. 人は思い出にのみ嫉妬する。
People are jealous only of memories.
While attention can be drawn to the fact that the agent is always/only jealous about X, we see that the function of のみ has subtly changed to emphasizing the intensity and continuous nature of the action (= the state of being jealous about X) while still retaining its literal definition of “only,” highlighting how the case information before のみ becomes just as important as the preceding noun. With emphasis now leaning more toward the predicate, the restriction at hand is at the agent’s detriment, whereby the flipside scenarios=state(s) of condition are not entertained at all due to the agent’s fixation on the sole condition at hand.
32a. 国内のみで販売されています。
It is being sold domestically only.
Implication: Emphasis is placed heavily on the location of where the sales are being made, as that is where the sales are being limited to.
32b. 国内でのみ販売されています。
It is being sold only domestically.
Implication: Sales are only being had domestically, implicitly conceding that other sales (international) are not being entertained.
With these implications in mind, consider the following grammaticality judgments.
33. このお菓子は地域限定で、九州{でのみ ◎・のみで 〇/△}販売されている。
This confection is a regional exclusive and is sold [only in Kyushu/in Kyushu only (△) ].
While highly fixating on 九州 as the be-all location is not inherently wrong to state, shifting the emphasis closer to the predicate tends to be the more natural choice.
Incidentally, there are situations in which のみ cannot be used after で , either because のみ marks the exclusivity of components (Ex. 34) or because で denotes the end of a dependent clause (Ex. 35).
34. 核家族とは、夫婦とその未婚の子｛のみで 〇・でのみ X｝構成される家族を指す。
The “nuclear family” consists solely of a married couple and their unmarried children.
35. その仕事を担当するのは｛彼のみで 〇・でのみ X｝問題ない。
It is perfectly fine for him alone to be in charge of the work.
When combined with the case particle の, のみ must always appear first.
37. 空欄のみの問題なので，なるべく効率の良い解法を目指しました。
Since they are fill-in-the blank questions, I aimed for the most efficient means of answering them.
38. ポピュリズム政治は、政治家のみの問題ではなく、民主主義そのもののもつ性質から必然的に生まれ、政治家が利用しているものである。
Populist politics is not merely an issue concerning politicians; rather, it emerges inevitably from the very nature of democracy itself—a characteristic that politicians subsequently exploit.
Historical Sidenote
When のみ first appeared in the written record, it notably always appeared first in combination with other case particles. This can largely be attributed to its etymology. However, for the majority of Japanese history, its role as an adverbial modifier prompted it to largely occur after case particles the about 90% of the time, which is why many speakers today view it as the “traditional” word order, despite it not being the “oldest” word order.
Nonetheless, shifting where のみ appears in relation to case particles does shift the balance of emphasis. If it appears before a case particle, then the argument can be made that the “limitation” set by のみ is largely on the noun itself, whereas if it is placed after a case particle, the “limitation” set by のみ affects the whole clause.
～のみならず
Translating into English as “not only,” the grammar pattern ～のみならず is a combination of the adverbial particle のみ and the classical copula verb なり in the negative, with the negative auxiliary ～ず being used in the 連用形. In more modern language, ～のみならず is fairly innocuously replaceable with ～だけでなく. This is because while のみ strongly holds onto its literal sense of “only,” on the basis of speech register, outside of stiffer, literary-stilted language, it inevitably gets replaced by だけ. First, let’s look at sentences utilizing ～のみならず after nouns.
39. 獺祭といえば、国内のみならず、海外でも人気の日本酒だ。
Speaking of Dassai, it is a sake that is not only popular domestically but abroad as well.
40. この水族館には、深海魚｛のみならず・だけでなく｝、熱帯魚もいます。
In this aquarium, there are not only deep-sea fish but also tropical fish.
Although in isolation, ～のみ is seldom encountered with adjectival predicates, they become more compatible with ～のみならず, although the adjective/adjectival noun in question will often be preceded by the adverb ただ.
41. 富士山はただ高いのみならず、美しいのです。
Mount Fuji is not just tall, but it is also beautiful.
42. デザインはひどいのみならず、内装もひどい。
Not only is the design terrible, but the interior is terrible as well.
～のみならず may also appear after verbal predicates. With stative predicates, X is not the only sole state qualifying the subject, and with dynamic predicates, X is not the sole action being taken by the agent.
43. 私たちは犯罪の原因を追及するのみならず、犯罪の機会をなくすることが重要ではないでしょうか。
Wouldn’t it be important for us not only to investigate the causes of crime but also to eliminate the opportunities for people to commit crimes?
44. 景観として優れているのみならず、他の地域では見られない動植物たちの貴重な生息地にもなっています。
Not only does it offer outstanding scenic beauty, but it also serves as a precious habitat for flora and fauna found nowhere else.
45. 環境負荷の少ない自然エネルギーは、地球温暖化防止に役立つのみならず、地震のような災害時でも利用が可能であり、新たな産業振興、地域振興にもつながるものである。
Natural energy resources, which impose minimal burden on the environment, not only contribute to preventing global warming but can also be utilized during disasters such as earthquakes; furthermore, they lead to the promotion of new industries and regional revitalization.
～のみか
Highly rare in Modern Japanese, the grammar pattern ～のみか bears the meaning of “not only (that),” and its best more modern equivalent is ～ばかりか5. As will be described in greater detail, the reason for why のみ has been supplanted by ばかり in the case can be attributed to how literal its exclusivity is interpreted.
Although that very exclusivity is shown to not be the case via the particle か and the clause that follows, there is a greater sense of surprise implied by the use of ばかり. It is also worth noting that neither pattern may be followed by clauses pertaining to commands, requests, or statements of volition.
46. 由紀子は感謝しない｛のみか・ばかりか｝逆に恨んでいる。
Far from being grateful, Yukiko actually harbors resentment.
There is also a palpable difference between ～のみか and ～ばかりか when it comes to “extent.”
47. テイラー君は漢字｛ばかりか ・のみか ｝ひらがなさえ書けない。
Not only can Taylor-kun not write kanji, he can’t even write hiragana.
It is one thing for a learner of Japanese to not know how to write kanji, but for that inability to be extended to hiragana, now that takes the learner’s illiteracy to another level, thus ばかりか. Now, it is still possible for kanji to just be the problem or by no means the only problem, thus のみか serves as a more literal role of stating two situations that are occurring in the context of the first situation not being the sole situation and that the second situation is just as in need of being singled out in the same breath.
48. 由紀子は感謝しない｛ばかりか ◎・のみか 〇｝、恨んでさえいる。
Yukiko not only fails to show gratitude, but she also goes so far as to harbor resentment.
While Ex. 48 is only a marginally altered version of Ex. 46, it is now more parallel in structure ～のみか and ～ばかりか can be. Due to just how rare ～のみか is, ～ばかりか will always be the more natural choice. As for how “not being grateful” and “resenting” relate, it is far easier to juxtapose these states in the sense of “not only is the case that Yukiko is…, it is also the case that she is…,” which would lean toward ～のみか, but given how emotionally charged both scenarios are, ～ばかりか would be more likely chosen to highlight how the extent of Yukiko’s poor attitude covers more than one issue.
As is always the case with synonymous phrases, the fine lines are always there. Whether those fine lines really differ in any practical sense, now that is left to both speakers and listeners to squawk about.
～だけでなく vs ～のみならず vs ～ばかりか （のみか） , etc.
With ～のみならず, ～ばかりか, and ～のみか all translating into English as “not only,” it may be tempting to assume that the structures are wholly interchangeable. However, the statements that they are used in are quite different in nature.
As demonstrated in Exs. 38-43, statements made with ～だけでなく and ～のみならず are fairly generic in nature. The speaker is merely tacking on something else that is the case, with the difference between them being solely how formal the tone is.
49. ポケモンは、子供｛だけでなく 〇・のみならず △｝大人でも楽しめます。
Pokémon can be enjoyed not only by children but also by adults.
50. ポケモンというゲームソフトシリーズは、日本のみならず、世界でも有名である。
The Pokémon video game series is famous not only in Japan but throughout the world.
Meanwhile, ～ばかりか adds a level of surprise, making the situation being tacked on (Y) sound more serious than it otherwise would. Though “surprise” might not be quite the right word for describing how Y is interpreted with ～のみか, Y has the same heightened level of severity from X not solely being the case.
51. ラファエル君は、無断欠席が多い｛ばかりか・のみか｝、出勤しても真面目に働かず周りに迷惑をかけたりする。
Not only does Rafael-kun frequently miss work without permission, even when he does show up, he fails to work conscientiously and ends up causing issues for those around him.
Even more phrases in Japanese can translate as “not only” into English, but there is always a layer of nuancing that cannot be ignored. Take for instance, Xはもちろん（のこと）Y and XはもとよりY. To account for this nuancing, the English translations will steer away from “not only” so that you may see how more parallel things are worded than you would otherwise expect.
52. セスさんは、英語はもちろん（のこと）、カタルーニャ語も話せるそうです。
I hear that Speaks Catalan, in addition to English of course.
53. セスさんは、英語はもとより、カタルーニャ語も喋れますよ。
Seth speaks English, of course, but he also speaks Catalan.
In both cases, X is deemed only natural, with the spin added to もとより being that X is principally the case by default. At times, Y need not always be as likely to occur, but it is a welcomed attribute just as naturally as is X.
54. 会員｛だけでなく・はもちろんのこと・はもとより｝一般のお客さんも割引価格でご購入いただけます。
[Not just members/Members, of course, yes/Members by default, yes], but also customers from the general public are able to make purchases at discounted prices.
If the speaker wishes to state that an extent is not be limited to X, but that it will be extended to Y, then the grammar pattern ～に限らず may be employed. It must also be noted that X and Y are limited to nouns, meaning neither constitute predicates. As far as translating into English goes, “not limited to” is both literal and more than sufficient to understand how it works.
55. まずは政治の話に限らず、どんな話でもオープンに話せる親子になれたらいいですよね。
First and foremost, wouldn’t it wonderful to have the kind of parent-children relationship in which anything can be talked about openly? And I’m not just talking about politics.
56. 先生は、ピアノや音楽に限らず、様々なことを私に教えてくださいました。
My teacher taught me a great many things—by no means limiting themselves to the piano or music.
57. そもそも生成文法に限らず、言語学というのは言語が持つ様々な仕組みや性質を理解しよう、という試みなので、その記述や説明の妥当性と教育に使えるかどうかは原理的に関係無いはずだ。
Fundamentally—and this applies not only to generative grammar—linguistics is an endeavor to understand the various mechanisms and properties inherent in language; therefore, in principle, the validity of its descriptions and explanations should be entirely unrelated to whether or not they can be applied in an educational context.
If X and Y are within the same range/extent=ballpark, ～に限らず will become ungrammatical. In which cases, ～のみならず might be your next best bet.
58. 泥棒は、窃盗｛のみならず ◎・に限らず X｝、器物破損の罪で重い刑を受けた。
The thief received a severe sentence for not only theft but also property damage.
Reasoning: Both “theft” and “property damage” constitute crimes that a thief would generally commit.
59. メキシコ料理は、タコス｛だけでなく 〇・のみならず X・に限らず X｝、エンチラーダなども大好きだよ。
I love Mexican food—not just tacos, but things like enchiladas, you name it.
You may also find that ～にとどまらず translates to “not only.” This pattern is used when an extent/parameter is exceeded, with that extension to Y being unexpected. Interestingly, X must not be a finite range. There needs to be some substance to the range of X already that warrants mentioning that what is happening goes beyond said range. If one wishes to have the parameter limited to a finite entity anyway, then either だけ or のみ must intervene so that the range in question is elevated to a similar level of severity.
60. 平日にとどまらず、週末にも仕事をするようになってしまった。
I have reached the point where I am working not on weekdays but on weekends as well.
61. 津波の被害は海岸部｛だけ・のみ｝にとどまらず、内陸の広い地域にまで達した。
The damage caused by the tsunami was not limited to the coastal areas; it extended vastly into the interior as well.
Unlike ～に限らず, ～にとどまらず may appear after verbal predicates. As to the nature of the verbal predicates, they will always pertain to extent.
62. その発見は、日本中の注目を集めたにとどまらず、全米にも知られるようになった。
That discovery didn’t just capture the attention of all Japan, it also became known throughout the United States.
～をのみ
Mentioned as being archaic earlier, we will look at an example of ～をのみ from Classical Japanese which helps demonstrate how のみ functions an adverbial modifier.
63. 御心をのみ惑はして去りなむことの悲しく耐へがたく侍るなり。
I find it sad and unbearable that I have done nothing but cause you emotional turmoil and will soon leave.
From the『竹取物語』.
In this example, there is a clear and evident emphasis on the intensity and continuous nature of the emotional turmoil being caused. In this sentence, the speaker would have undoubtedly thought it strange to use ～のみを instead, as then 心 would somehow be fixated upon as opposed to the fact that the action=predicate continues to be nothing but what the agent is doing. In Modern Japanese, のみ alone would suffice without the intervention of を at all, but the inclusion of を afterward would still be fairly unnatural for the same reason.
のみ vs ばかり
Incidentally, both ～をのみ and ～にのみ beg the question of how does のみ truly differ from ばかり if both particles seemingly pertain to the intense fixation on one action. In older stages of Japanese, the overlap would have been more severe, as のみ appeared in the capacity of “limitation” well before ばかり did, yet even after のみ became eclipsed by ばかり in this capacity, so too were both ultimately largely supplanted by だけ—with the modern speaker differentiating all these particles through their subtleties.
In Modern Japanese, ばかり has retained all the meanings that it has accumulated, ranging from “approximation,” “extent/degree,” to “limitation,” but each function dangerously overlaps with other adverbial particles, making the particle notably difficult to learners and natives alike because of the inevitable nuance nitpicking that ensues. Both its meaning of “approximation” and “extent/degree” have largely been taken over by the particles ほど・くらい and its meaning of “limitation” has largely been taken over by the particle だけ.
64a. 十ばかりの子供 (Dated)
64b. 十歳くらいの子供
A child around age ten
Yet, when ばかり’s meaning pertains to intense repetition, we see that it has not been supplanted by these other adverbial particles, nor does it share or has it ever shared this function with のみ.
65. 泣いて｛ばかり 〇・のみ X｝いる。
All (they) do is cry.
66a. 誰も知らない物語を思うばかり 〇 (Intense Repetition)
66b. 誰も知らない物語を思うのみ ？ (Only Course of Action (Left))
66a. All (I) do is dream of stories unknown to all
66b. [All there is left to do is/All I have going for me is to] dream of stories unknown to all (?)
Intended Meaning: All (I) do is dream of stories unknown to all
These examples show how syntactically diversified this function of ばかり has become, with both its placement after the ～て form and the 連体形 representing dynamic/active repetition on the part of the agent. We see that ～てのみ is entirely ungrammatical, and that 連体形＋ばかり and 連体形＋のみ do not result in the same meaning at all. Here, we see that のみ is both literal and static in its portrayal of verbal predicates, even though both particles can still be roughly translated as “only.”
Going back to the phrase ～にのみ嫉妬する mentioned earlier, the literal fixation implied by のみ does not inherently imply repeated action; rather, it merely highlights a generic statement that the agent does “nothing but” be jealous about X. Though the agent could be jealous about other things if they were not so fixated on X, that is not even being entertained. If, however, ばかり were used instead, that theory does, in fact, become viable. With this in mind, let’s compare this with ばかり thrown in the mix, which can appear in this same environment of “noun + に.”
67a. 人は、恵まれた人にのみ嫉妬するわけではないのだ。
67b. 人は、恵まれた人にばかり嫉妬するわけではないのだ。
67a. It is not the case that people envy those who are privileged solely.
67b. It is not the case that people envy only those who are privileged.
32a. 人は思い出にのみ嫉妬する
32b. 人は思い出にばかり嫉妬する
People are jealous only of memories.
People are jealous [only of memories/of nothing but memories].
On the grounds of translating these sentences into English, 32a’s translation could be used for 32b’s. Even so, the underlining meaning of extent which ばかり possesses, when applied to [恵まれた人], is what ushers in the notion of that extent being true on a constant basis (≠ continuous state). Even though the same wordings “nothing but/only” are used in English for both particles, we cannot rule out that the agent is not jealous about other things in the case of 32b. It is just that the agent is so prone to hating on the fortunate (that other objects of hate are not being focused on at the time of utterance). Meanwhile, Ex. 32a, while still a powerful statement on the reality (continuous state) of the agent=people’s innate jealousy, the fixation on the object of jealousy treats the act itself as, again, a constant state which people are all guilty of, as opposed to the agent (we humans) constantly going back to being jealous of nothing but [memories = the object], which is how ばかり would function. Yet again, we see that there is no escaping the literal limitation which のみ sets in motion.
What, then, if ばかり were placed directly after the noun? This is made possible when を is ellipsed, and even still, we see that there is a significant difference in nuance between ばかり and のみ.
68. 漁夫たちは、博打｛ばかり ◎・のみ X}やって、あぶく銭を稼ぐ。
The fishermen do nothing but gamble, raking in easy bucks.
Here, we see that のみ is a horrible choice. While it is possible for an agent to “only partake in gambling,” this is immediately negated by the agent “making fast bucks,” another action which is undeniably enabling the constant act of gambling, which is so hard to ignore, in fact, that any other choice but ばかり among the pool of adverbial particles pertaining to limitation would be highly unnatural.
This brings us back to the notion of “limitation” in a literal sense. In Modern Japanese, you would be hard pressed to find situations in which the speaker truly implies that ばかり means “only” in such a literal, exclusive sense6. Even in Classical Japanese, the contexts in which the meaning of “only” did not pertain to constant repetition in this manner were limited to generic statements, singling out the one thing that makes the statement true.
69a. されど、なほ夕顔といふ名ばかりはをかし。
69b. だけれど、やはり、夕顔という名前｛だけは ◎・ばかりは ?｝素敵だ。
After all, though, only the name of the flower “yuugao = evening face” is (deserving of being called) charming.
From the 『源氏物語』.
In this context, ～ばかりは would be generally replaced by ～だけは in Modern Japanese (Ex. 69b), with のみ also being unnatural. While the encroachment of だけ onto both particles’ semantic domains is undeniable, ～のみは does not even exist despite its emphatic—albeit limited—role of emphasizing the intensity of a continuous state, which is incidentally not the same thing as emphasizing the limited extent to which a generic statement is oh-so true like in Ex. 69, nor is it the same thing as emphasizing the extent to which a statement always ends up being the case like in Ex. 67b.
While のみ is used in generic statements, such as the ubiquitous set phrase showcased in (Ex. 2), the very literal nature of “only X” that defines the particle causes it to sound more solemn and/or formal than emphatic. Even when case information is thrown into the definition of X, nothing else is even being entertained, with that overarching formality further keeping the attention directed only on X. If that formality is not warranted, だけ takes over.
2. 神のみぞ知る。
Only God/the gods know(s).
68. この問題は、エフェクトの表示に｛のみ ◎・だけ 〇｝影響を及ぼしている。
The issue affects only the display of effects.
69. 子供｛だけ 〇・のみ X｝入れるみたいだよ。
It looks like only children are allowed in.
さのみ
Written in kanji as 然のみ, さのみ is an archaic adverbial phrase with two distinct meanings. The first meaning directly translates to そのように｛ばかり・だけ｝, highlighting how the particles ばかり, and だけ took over のみ’s role of “limitation” throughout the lexicon.
70. よき人は、知りたることとて、さのみ知り顔にやは言ふ。
Would a wise person—simply because they possess a certain piece of knowledge—speak of it indiscriminately, with an air of self-satisfied erudition? No; surely, they would not.
From the 『徒然草』.
The second meaning of さのみ, however, seems a bit more bizarre, especially when its modern equivalent is thrown into the mix. Most often paired with negative predicates, さのみ could also mean “(not) particularly so.” As such, this phrase showcases のみ’s secondary meaning in Classical Japanese, which was to create a light comparison for the sake of emphasis. Of course, even in these light comparisons, it retains the sense of “particularly,” which is not a far cry whatsoever from its basal meaning of “only.”
71. 限りあれば、さのみもえとどめさせ給はず。
With there being protocols, (he) was unable to hold (her) there for as long as (he) would have desired.
From the 『源氏物語』.
72. 何事も、古き世のみぞしたはしき。
In all things, it is particularly periods from the past that arouse longing.
From the 『徒然草』.
While these examples are fascinating, given how のみ nowadays has largely been stuck with the very literal sense of “limitation” from whence it came, the phrase さのみ becomes even more uncanny for how it is often translated into Modern Japanese as それほど7. Though it is not surprising that a usage of のみ which dangerously encroaching on the notion of “extent”8 would be snatched up by another adverbial particle that precisely pertains to extent, it may strike you as odd that ばかり would not be viable here.
Rest assured, さばかり does also exist in the capacity of “that/very much.” Principally, ばかり’s meaning of “limitation” derives from its meaning of “extent,” whereas のみ’s secondary meaning of “particularly” derives from its meaning of “limitation.”
73. さばかり寒き夜もすがら、ここかしこに眠り居たるこそをかしけれ。
Given how it was one of those nights in which it was so cold one shouldn’t have been able to even sleep, it intrigues me that I saw so many dozing off here and there.
From the 『徒然草』.
【参照】
Classical Japanese: A Grammar by Haruo Shirane
副助詞「ノミ」の変容と副助詞研究の課題 by 山田昌裕
- The particle のみ has existed since Old Japanese, and it is believed to derive from ～の身, making it literally mean “it/that itself.” ↩︎
- While 神のみぞ知る is a set phrase, it utilizes the original syntax of the particle ぞ, which used to be a bound particle that appeared immediately before the predicate it emphasized, also dictating that same predicate be in the 連体形. ↩︎
- 可 is used in written shorthand to indicate feasibility, what is allowed, and/or what there is authorization for. ↩︎
- In older-style language, ～をのみ could also be observed, but it is no longer viable in modern speech. ↩︎
- The particle ばかり obtained the function of limitation in a similar vein to のみ prior to the rise of the particle だけ, which explains why ～ばかりか still retains this usage of the particle. ↩︎
- The grammar pattern ～ばかりか comes to mind as the best example of ばかり retaining its meaning of “only” in the sense of limitation, though this meaning of “only” is by no means in isolation. Moreover, the exclusivity of ばかり’s complement is notably denied, hinging on the actual reality that its underlining meaning of “extent” covers another scenario that is defined in the following clause. ↩︎
- そうとばかりも would also suffice as a translation which get us to a closer direct translation to the modern lexicon. ↩︎
- While dangerously close to the notion of “extent,” similar nuance splicing can be found with how “not particularly” is interpreted depending on the context.
iv. Seth’s lessons are not particularly bad lessons. (Categorical)
v. Seth’s lessons are not particularly bad in the way Tae Kim’s are. (Degree from Comparison)
vii. Seth’s lessons are not particularly that bad. (Degree) ↩︎