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This topic is tied to the below grammar expression in the grammar library.
  ~ ない 
1. Only A; no more than A
すみません                       
Sorry, I only have a Japanese (-language) business card.
2. There's only A; Only A can be done; Only A (of many methods)
                  ない    
I was deceived by her, so there is nothing to do but go our separate ways.
Top > 日本語を勉強しましょう / Let's study Japanese! > Anything About Japanese > Grammar Library Talk

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unfoldingdrama
Level: 7
Is the form of this structure that uses the noun form on this site also?
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15 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
Yes, and I put them both on the same page (just need to correct the jlpt markers on this page).
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15 years ago
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iparker
Level: 1
The model sentence for the first meaning of しかない does not fall in line with it's grammar construction Noun + しかない。
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15 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
Thanks - fixed that up, and went ahead and added a few more model sentences to help out :)
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15 years ago
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mireille
Level: 1
Dictionary form verb + しかない is also possible

けるからには、るしかない。 (Unicom)

Edit: Nevermind. It's already there.
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14 years ago
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Level: 3
For some reason, in the first usage, second example sentence, there is みません for みません・すみません. Otherwise, should that か which follows not be が?
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14 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
Thanks! In the future, if you see an error, you can hit the 'something incorrect' link and suggest a correction from there!
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14 years ago
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Level: 3
Ah right, sure
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14 years ago
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テリフン
Level: 1
Just wondering, can the second form be used in sarcasm? For example: "もいないね。このケーキをべるしかないね。" Also, I noticed some of the sentences end in しかないだ while others just end in the しかない. That confuses me a little...
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12 years ago
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emmy
Level: 3
Yes, you can use しかない as per your example sentence. As for the だ: ない here is just ありません or the negative form of the verb you're using so the same rules apply as when you're using the negative form in other sentence constructs. Did that answer your question? :o
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12 years ago
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テリフン
Level: 1
Well, I mean, like in the example sentences, why does the first one end with "つしかない" and the second one end with わかれるしかない[color=red]だ[/color]?
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12 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
Should not be there, removing it now!
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12 years ago
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マドゥリ
Level: 1
Shouldn't the title be しか~ない rather than しかない, since the ない form of any verb can be inserted?
1
11 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
Updated!
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11 years ago
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ポリナ
Level: 1
Hmmm, I don't quite get it. The explanation says one needs to use a verb in nai-form, but then there is an example like ぶんをまいしかきませんでした。 Is this きませんでした also a nai-form of a verb? Sorry, if that's a silly question, I just got a bit confused.
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11 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
it is the polite form of the negative. For く, you've got かない (short negative) きません (polite negative) The でした is the past tense. Teeeeechincally, only the first is the 'ない' form, but it would take up too much space to add every negative form. Maybe ..use 'Negative form' in the box in the future.
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11 years ago
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ターラ
Level: 39
I got tripped up on a grammar question relating to this - I commented in the quiz but it seems worth mentioning here too. 
Of the given options, 5しかの was incorrect, it seems the correct answer is 5しか. Is this a separate usage which isn't listed above? I couldn't find any specific information about it.
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5 years ago
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gdartfow
Level: 1464
It's hard to say without seeing the full sentence, but I imagine it was something like the following from the site's library: は、10しかっていない。 (I have no more than ten books)
If that's the case, this falls under the first usage.

It's easier to understand if you think of しか as describing the action/verb.
For instance in しかきませんでした (I've only written one page of the essay) from above, "one page" describes how much I've written, not the essay itself, so しかの would be wrong.
Likewise, in しからない (only he knows the truth), "he" describes who knows and not some aspect of the truth, so しかの would also be wrong.
I hope this somewhat helped clear up the confusion.
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5 years ago
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ヤツ
Level: 1
It is like related to ~ばかり or ~だけ, right? Used to express that there's no other option, hence one has to stick to that option, right?
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5 years ago
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マイコー
Level: 256
I wouldn't say it's quite similar to だけ. The way I think of them is that だけ means "only", without any suggestion that it is a smaller than expected/normal amount.

You are right in that only that option exists, so one is "stuck to it" - but this only applies to しか.
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5 years ago
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