# 284 Learn Japanese【ばかりに】Just because; Simply because - N2 Grammar -

#JLPT #LearnJapanese #studyjapanese 【〜ばかりに】 Formation • Verb (plain form) + ばかりに • Noun + である + ばかりに • な-adjective + である + ばかりに • い-adjective + ばかりに ________________________________________ Meaning •Used when a single cause leads to a negative or regrettable result. = “Just because ~, (something bad happened)” = “Simply because ~, unfortunately …” • Often expresses regret, unintended consequences, or blame/responsibility attributed to one cause. • The result is almost always negative. ________________________________________ Other Japanese Expression: 〜せいで (But ばかりに sounds stronger, more emotional, and often expresses the speaker’s regret.) ________________________________________ Example Dialogue Style 勉強しなかったばかりに不合格だった 。 →勉強しなかったので、不合格だった。 Just because I didn’t study, I failed. お金を忘れたばかりにご飯を買えなかった。 →お金を忘れたのでご飯を買えなかった。 Just because I forgot my money, I couldn’t buy food. ________________________________________ 【ばかりに】 vs 【〜から・〜ので】 • から／ので: neutral reasons. • ばかりに: emphasizes that a single cause created a bad result, often with regret. Key Point • Strong regret or misfortune caused by one specific reason. • Mostly used for negative results. • Often used in storytelling or emotional explanations. ________________________________________ Example Sentences 賞味期限切れの牛乳を飲んだばかりに、お腹を壊してしまった。 Just because I drank expired milk, I ended up getting sick to my stomach.________________________________________ 彼女に本当のことを言ったばかりに、嫌われてしまった。 Just because I told her the truth, she ended up disliking me. ________________________________________ お金がなかったばかりに、行きたかった大学をあきらめた。 Simply because I had no money, I gave up on the university I wanted to attend. ________________________________________ 道を間違えたばかりに、到着が1時間も遅れた。 Just because I took a wrong turn, I arrived an hour late. ________________________________________ 有名になったばかりに、自由な時間がなくなってしまった。 Just because he became famous, he lost his free time. ________________________________________ 必要ない一言を言ったばかりに、雰囲気が悪くなった。 Just because I said one unnecessary thing, the mood got bad.