Breakdown of watasi no karada ha mada yoku nai kara, kyou ha sukosi hasiru sika nai.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
今日kyou
today
いいii
good
のno
possessive case particle
からkara
reason particle
走るhasiru
to run
まだmada
still
ないnai
not exist/have
少しsukosi
a little
〜くない〜kunai
negative form
体karada
body
しかsika
only
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Questions & Answers about watasi no karada ha mada yoku nai kara, kyou ha sukosi hasiru sika nai.
What exactly does 走るしかない mean? Is it the same as "must run"?
V-dictionary + しかない means "there's nothing to do but V" or "have no choice but to V." 走るしかない is close to "must run," but the nuance is resignation because there are no other options, not obligation by rule.
What's the difference between 少し走るしかない and 少ししか走れない?
少し走るしかない: "I have no choice but to run a little" (doing a small run is the only viable option). 少ししか走れない: "I can only run a little" (my ability is limited). The second uses potential 走れる and focuses on capability.
Could I use だけ instead of しかない?
Yes: 今日は少しだけ走る = "I'll just run a little." だけ is a neutral "only." しかない adds "nothing else is possible," which sounds more constrained or resigned.
Why is しか followed by ない? Is this a double negative?
With しか, a negative is required: N + しか + ない or V-dictionary + しかない. It's not a logical double negative; together they form "only/no more than." Examples: 水しかない (there's only water), 行くしかない (have no choice but to go).
Why is 走る in dictionary form and not 走ります?
The pattern is fixed as V-dictionary + しかない. In polite speech, make the final ない polite: 走るしかありません or colloquially 走るしかないです.
What does まだよくない mean here?
まだ with a negative means "not yet/still not." まだよくない means "not in good condition yet" or "still not well," implying you expect improvement.
Why is it よくない and not いくない?
The adjective いい/よい is irregular. Its stem becomes よく for adverb/negative, so the negative is よくない, not ×いくない.
Can よく also mean "often"? How do I tell which meaning it is?
Yes. よく can mean "well" or "often." Here it modifies physical condition (from 良い "good"), so よくない = "not good/well," not "not often." Context decides the meaning.
Why use から? Could I use ので or だから?
から links a reason: "because." ので is a bit softer/polite: 体はまだよくないので…. You can also split into two sentences with だから: 体はまだよくない。だから、今日は….
Why is it 私の体は and not 私は体が?
は marks the topic; 私の体は… = "as for my body…". You can also say 体がまだよくない (simple statement). 私は体が… is grammatical but often redundant; in context Japanese would usually drop 私 and just say 体が/体調が….
Is 私の necessary? Do Japanese usually say "my body"?
Possession is often omitted when obvious. 体はまだよくないから… or more idiomatically 体調がまだよくないから… are very natural.
Is 体 the best word? What about 体調 or 調子?
To talk about how you feel, 体調 (physical condition) or 調子 (condition) are common: 体調がまだよくない, 調子が悪い. 体がよくない is understandable but sounds more literal.
What does 今日は with は do? Could I just say 今日?
今日は topicalizes "today": "as for today," often with a contrastive feel (today, unlike usual). 今日、 without は simply sets time. Both are fine; は adds that extra "today specifically" nuance.
Can I rearrange the clauses?
Yes. You can put the reason first (as given) or say two sentences: 今日は少し走るしかない。体はまだよくないから。 Ending a sentence with から is casual but common in speech. In more formal writing, keep it in one sentence or use ので.
Could I say 悪い instead of よくない?
You could say 体調が悪い. 悪い is "bad," while よくない is "not good"; the latter is a bit softer. With 体調, both よくない and 悪い are idiomatic.
How is everything pronounced?
私(わたし) の 体(からだ) は まだ よく ない から、 今日(きょう) は 少し(すこし) 走る(はしる) しか ない. Note that the topic particle は is pronounced "wa."
Why are there spaces between the words?
Japanese is normally written without spaces. They were added here to help learners see word boundaries.