N2 · Expressions (N2)
どころか: far from it, let alone
the opposite of what was expected, or not even the minimum
どころか rejects the first idea and replaces it with something stronger — usually the opposite, or less than the least.
At a glance
- Remember
- どころか: far from it, or not even that — never a simple "and also".
- Form
- 止むどころかfar from stopping
- Signal words
- 〜どころか
- 〜どころか〜も
- 〜どころではない
- Trap
- Wrong:彼は英語どころか、中国語も上手に話せる。Right:彼は英語ばかりか、中国語も上手に話せる。
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| far from stopping | 止むどころか |
| far from being quiet | 静かどころか |
| not even hiragana, let alone kanji | 漢字どころか、ひらがなも |
| far from saving, I spent | 貯まるどころか |
| no time for a trip | 旅行どころではない |
| compare: not only … but also | 漢字ばかりか |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
どころか: far from it — the truth is the opposite.
薬を飲んでも、熱は下がるどころか上がってしまった。Far from going down after the medicine, my temperature went up.
どころか … も: not even the smaller thing, let alone the bigger.
忙しくて、旅行どころか週末も休めない。I am so busy I cannot even take weekends off, let alone go on a trip.
Noun + どころではない: this is no time for it.
試験の前で、遊びどころではない。With the exam coming up, fun is out of the question.
For "not only … but also" in the same direction, use ばかりか.
彼は英語ばかりか中国語も話せる。He speaks not only English but Chinese as well.
Example sentences
彼は謝るどころか、怒り出した。Far from apologising, he got angry.
貯金は増えるどころか、減る一方だ。Far from growing, my savings keep shrinking.
この辺は静かどころか、夜もうるさい。This area is anything but quiet — it is noisy even at night.
彼女は料理どころか、お湯も沸かせない。She cannot even boil water, let alone cook.
一万円どころか、千円もない。I don't have a thousand yen, let alone ten thousand.
風邪をひいて、仕事どころではない。I have a cold, so work is out of the question.
7 more example sentences
痩せるどころか、三キロも太ってしまった。Far from losing weight, I put on three kilos.
感謝されるどころか、文句を言われた。Far from being thanked, I got complaints.
彼は英語どころか、日本語もあやしい。Forget English — even his Japanese is shaky.
雪は止むどころか、ますます強くなった。Far from stopping, the snow got heavier.
旅行どころか、近所にも出かけていない。I have not even been out to the neighbourhood, let alone on a trip.
引っ越しの準備で、勉強どころではない。With the move to get ready for, studying is out of the question.
安いどころか、他の店より高かった。Far from being cheap, it was dearer than other shops.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "not only English but also Chinese" adds a second skill to the first, and learners who remember どころか as "not only" use it here. But どころか rejects the first idea; the sentence would mean that his English is beside the point. Adding in the same direction is ばかりか.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
どころか follows a noun, the plain form of a verb or an adjective, and says that the first idea is not just wrong but wrong by a long way. In its first use, the truth is the opposite: 雨は止むどころか、ますます強くなった, "far from stopping, the rain got even heavier". The expectation was improvement, and the reality went the other way.
In its second use, it says that not even the smaller, easier thing is true, let alone the bigger one: 漢字どころか、ひらがなも読めない, "he cannot even read hiragana, let alone kanji". The second half usually contains も, さえ or すら and a negative.
A na-adjective or a noun can follow directly or with な: 静かどころか, 休みどころか. A noun with どころではない at the end of a sentence means "this is no time for": 忙しくて、旅行どころではない, "I am so busy that a trip is out of the question".
English "not only … but also" adds something in the same direction, and learners confuse it with どころか. ばかりか adds; どころか contradicts or undercuts. "Far from …" and "let alone" are the two English phrases that match it.
A closer look
Which way the sentence turns
Both uses start from an expectation. In the first, the expectation is a direction — getting better, saving money, apologising — and reality goes the other way. The second half is a positive statement of the opposite: 怒り出した, 減っている.
In the second, the expectation is a level, and reality falls below even a lower one. The second half is a negative with も: ひらがなも読めない. Spotting も plus a negative after どころか tells a reader at once that "let alone" is meant.
Worth knowing (1)
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As a reply
In conversation どころか often opens a reply that contradicts the question: 「楽だった？」「楽どころか、大変だったよ。」. The speaker throws back the other person's word and replaces it.
「暇ですか。」「暇どころか、寝る時間もありません。」"Are you free?" "Free? I don't even have time to sleep."
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