N1176/186

ただ〜のみ

ただ + Verb (dictionary form) + のみただ + Noun + のみただ + Verb (dictionary form) + のみだ/のみです

Meanings

  • Nothing but
  • Only
  • Merely
  • All that remains
  • Have to
  • Should

About this pattern

Explanation

ただ〜のみ is a formal, sometimes literary way to say that the only thing to consider or to do is the verb or noun following のみ. It conveys a strong sense of limitation or inevitability, often used in written reporting, arguments, or admonitions. It is similar in nuance to だけだ but with a more formal, more restrained tone; it also implies that there is nothing else to be done or nothing else to consider beyond what is stated. In practice, you’ll see it in sentences that state a sole action or state, sometimes with a sense of consequence or inevitability. It can express obligation in a minimal sense (have to) when the following verb is something one must do, but keep in mind the formality and the slightly stilted feeling; more everyday speech would use だけ or しか〜ない.

Learn in context

Example sentences

彼はただ従うのみだ。

He simply has to obey.

彼女はただ私の言うことを聞くのみだ。

She only listens to what I say.

この問題はただ理解するのみで、解決には至らない。

This problem can only be understood; it does not lead to a solution.