Japanese Grammar – I only have one Japanese friend. 🇯🇵

にほんじん の ともだち が ひとり____います。

\[\text{にほんじん の ともだち が ひとり だけ います。}\]
Translation: *I only have one Japanese friend.*

– だけ (dake): This particle is used to indicate "only" or "just". It is often used after a noun or a counter to emphasize exclusivity or limitation. In this context, ひとり だけ (hitori dake) means "only one person."

### Explanation:
1. ひとり (hitori): This is the counter used for people, meaning "one person."
2. だけ (dake): Placed after ひとり, it emphasizes that there is exclusively one Japanese friend and no more.

### Grammar Breakdown:
– Noun/Counter + だけ: When you want to specify that the count is limited, you use だけ right after the noun or counter.
– Examples:
– 本が一冊だけあります。(*Hon ga issatsu dake arimasu.*) – *I have only one book.*
– 彼だけが知っています。(*Kare dake ga teimasu.*) – *Only he knows.*

By placing だけ after ひとり, the sentence conveys the meaning of having just one Japanese friend and no more.

### Example with Different Counters:
– にほんじんのともだちが二人（ふたり）だけいます。
– Translation: *I only have two Japanese friends.*
– Romanized: *Nihonjin no tomodachi ga futari dake imasu.*
– りんごが一個（いっこ）だけあります。
– Translation: *I only have one apple.*
– Romanized: *Ringo ga ikko dake arimasu.*

Using だけ appropriately ensures clarity in communicating the limitations or exclusivity in quantity or presence.

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