～ばかりでなく
not only X but also
～ばかりでなく attaches to a noun, a plain-form verb, or an adjective and means “not only X”. The rest of the sentence then adds something beyond X, usually marked with も (“also”).
It maps directly onto English “not only ... but also ...”: you state the obvious or expected fact first, then extend the statement past it.
Adding something beyond the obvious case
Use ～ばかりでなく when one fact alone does not tell the whole story.
勉強ばかりでなく、運動もする。
“I not only study but also exercise.”
- 勉強（べんきょう）= study
- ばかりでなく = not only
- 運動（うんどう）= exercise
- も = also (additive particle)
- する = to do
彼は英語ばかりでなく、中国語も話せる。
“He can speak not only English but also Chinese.”
- 彼（かれ）= he
- は = topic marker
- 英語（えいご）= English
- ばかりでなく = not only
- 中国語（ちゅうごくご）= Chinese
- も = also
- 話せる（はなせる）= can speak
Compare this with ～だけでなく: the two mean the same thing, but ～だけでなく is more common in everyday speech, while ～ばかりでなく sounds a little more formal and fits written Japanese well.
How to form it
Noun / plain-form verb / adjective + ばかりでなく, with も in the second clause
- 勉強（べんきょう）= study → 勉強ばかりでなく = not only studying
- 安い（やすい）= cheap → 安いばかりでなく = not only cheap
- 話す（はなす）= to speak → 話すばかりでなく = not only speaks
Key idea
～ばかりでなく tells the listener “X is true, but don't stop there”, the sentence then adds a second fact with も that goes beyond X.
Built on the same stem
Updated .