でしかない - Grammar Discussion

merely
nothing but
no more than

Structure

  • Noun + でしかない

View on Bunpro

What is the difference between this and にすぎない? On Bunpro it says they are almost interchangeable so is there specific times I should be using one over the other?

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@Whologist Great question! Most Japanese will tell you that they are completely interchangeable in the majority of situations and would not be able to tell the difference if you swapped one out for the other. It really boils down to the nuances of both しかない and すぎない. すぎない expresses a bit more humility and is used when the speaker wishes to be more modest or is making an effort to raise the subject matter up on a pedestal. しかない usually carries with it a slightly more negative nuance, often expressing dissatisfaction with an outcome or with oneself. Here is a discussion of how Japanese perceive the two. Hope this helps. Cheers!

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Thank you so much! :grin: :heart:

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What would the difference be between this point and だけしかない? Thank you!