Express a limit with だけ or しか. Pay attention to the negative predicate required by the ordinary limiting use of しか.
Keep the particle and predicate together
百円だけあります and 百円しかありません can both describe having only 100 yen. The first states a limit; the second frames the amount through a negative construction and often suggests that it is less than wanted or expected.
The negative after しか does not turn the whole English meaning into “none.” 一人しか来ません means that only one person will come. In contrast, 一人も来ません means that nobody will come. Those are different statements.
A simple rewriting method
When changing 水だけ飲みます to a しか sentence, change the predicate too: 水しか飲みません. Do not leave 飲みます in place. These examples use ordinary non-past limiting statements; other constructions and conversational ellipsis are outside this drill.
Examples to read before you practise
Japanese | Reading / English |
|---|---|
水だけ飲みます。 | I drink only water. |
水しか飲みません。 | I drink nothing but water. |
一人も来ません。 | Nobody will come. |
Try six questions
Use the interactive practice below. Type only the requested expression. Kanji and kana alternatives are accepted where listed in the answer key. Completing a question records a result; opening the answer key does not.
水しか（ ）。 Use polite non-past negative of 飲む.
百円しか（ ）。 Use polite negative of ある.
水だけ飲みます → replace だけ with しか; whole sentence without punctuation
一人（ ）来ません。 Say only one will come, using shika.
一人（ ）来ません。 Say nobody will come.
百円だけあります → type only the limiting particle
Answer key and explanations
飲みません / のみません — しか pairs with a negative predicate.
ありません — The limited amount is expressed with しかありません.
水しか飲みません / みずしかのみません — Both the particle and predicate must change.
しか — Only one is different from nobody.
も — A question-like quantity plus も and a negative gives none here.
だけ — だけ marks the stated limit without requiring a negative.
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