のみ

のみ means "only" or "nothing but" and functions similarly to だけ, but is more formal and literary. It is commonly found in written Japanese such as official documents, academic writing, news articles, signs, and formal announcements. In everyday conversation, だけ is preferred.

のみ attaches directly to nouns, particles, and verb plain forms.

Basic usage – restricting to one thing

With verbs

のみ can follow the dictionary form or た-form of verbs to mean "only doing" or "having only done."

With particles

When used with particles like に, で, or から, のみ typically comes before the particle, similar to だけ.

のみならず – not only

A common extended expression is のみならず, meaning "not only… but also." This is the formal equivalent of だけでなく.

Difference from だけ

Both のみ and だけ express the meaning of "only," but のみ carries a significantly more formal and stiff tone. Using のみ in casual conversation would sound unnatural. Choose だけ for spoken language and のみ for written or formal contexts.