しか 〜ない (shika ~nai) — Only this much (with a feeling of "so little")
しか always takes a negative verb, yet the meaning is "only".
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
Meaning
- しか means "only this much", and its verb is always negative.
- 百円しか ありません = "I only have a hundred yen".
How to attach
- しか replaces を and が: ひらがなしか 読めません.
- に・で・から stay and become にしか・でしか.
Versus what you know
N5Compare だけ: 百円だけ あります also means "only a hundred yen", but だけ is neutral, while しか carries a complaint that it is too little.
Watch out
The verb is negative but the English and Nepali come out positive — that is the trap.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
今 百円しか ありません。
いま ひゃくえんしか ありません。
Right now I only have a hundred yen.
ひらがなしか 読めません。
ひらがなしか よめません。
I can only read hiragana.
日曜日しか 休めません。
にちようびしか やすめません。
I can only take Sunday off.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
Which correctly says "I can only read hiragana"?
💡 Hint: しか always takes a negative verb.
After しか the verb must be negative: 読めません. The meaning still comes out as "I can only read". ひらがなも 読めません means "I cannot even read hiragana" — a different thing.
Which correctly says "I only have a hundred yen"?
💡 Hint: しか + negative.
百円しか ありません. 百円も ありません would mean "I do not even have a hundred yen" — a different thing.
Which sentence carries the complaint "only this much — it is not enough"?
💡 Hint: Compare だけ with しか.
百円だけ あります just states the fact. 百円しか ありません adds the feeling that it is too little. 百円も あります is the opposite — "a whole hundred yen!".
Your score: /3