だけ

See also: たけ

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
丈

Derived from 丈 (take, “height, limit”). Usage as a particle appears after 1600, during the Edo period.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [da̠ke̞]

Particle

だけ • (dake) 

1. in a negative, limiting sense: only, just, limit

   ローマ字(じ)だけの辞(じ)書(しょ)

   Rōmaji dake no jisho

   rōmaji-only dictionary

   • 1905, 夏目漱石 (Natsume Sōseki), 吾輩は猫である (Wagahai wa Neko de aru, “I Am a Cat”), Mōri Yasotarō (tr.):

     何(なん)ても暗薄(くらうす)いじめじめした所(ところ)でニャー／＼泣(な)いて居(ゐ)た事(こと)丈(だけ)は記憶(きおく)して居(ゐ)る。

     Nantemo kurausui jimejime shita tokoro de nyānyā naite ita koto dake wa kioku shite iru.

     All I remember is that I was miaowing in a dampish dark place

   Synonyms: ばかり (bakari), のみ (nomi), しか (shika)

2. in a positive, non-limiting sense: amount, as much as

   寝(ね)たいだけ寝(ね)ていい。

   Netai dake nete ii.

   You can sleep as much as you want.

   これだけしてるのに

   kore dake shiteru no ni

   Even though I'm doing as much as this / Even though I'm doing this much

   Synonyms: ほど (hodo), くらい (kurai), 限り (kagiri)

Usage notes

The particle is exclusively written in kana in modern usage.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of だけ – see the following entry.

【岳たけ】S [noun] a tall mountain [noun] a mountain peak [suffix] mount, mountain

(This term, だけ (dake), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as だけ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as だけ.)