N3 · Expressions (N3)
ほど and くらい: how far something goes
ほど, くらい
ほど and くらい measure extent: "about", "so … that", and "not as … as".
Both words measure. After a number they mean "about": 一時間くらい, 一時間ほど. ほど sounds a little more formal and is the usual choice in polite requests and announcements; くらい (also ぐらい) is everyday.
After a clause they describe how far a state goes: "so … that". 泣きたいくらい嬉しい is "so happy I could cry"; 死ぬほど疲れた is "dead tired". Both work here; ほど tends to sound more dramatic, くらい more conversational.
For comparison they part ways. "A is not as … as B" is AはBほど〜ない, and only ほど can do it: 今日は昨日ほど寒くない. "Nothing is as … as B" is Bほど〜はない. くらい, for its part, has a use ほど lacks: setting a minimum, often impatiently — 挨拶くらいしなさい, "at least say hello".
English speakers carry "as … as" over into a positive sentence with ほど, which does not work: ほど compares only in the negative. For "as tall as" in a positive sentence, Japanese says と同じくらい.
The form
| about (a number) | 一時間くらい |
| about (more formal) | 一時間ほど |
| so … that | 泣きたいくらい |
| so … that (stronger) | 泣きたいほど |
| not as … as | 昨日ほど寒くない |
| nothing is as … as | 家族ほど大切なものはない |
| at least | 挨拶くらい |
The rules one by one
After a number, くらい and ほど both mean "about"; ほど sounds more polite.
駅まで歩いて10分ほどです。It is about ten minutes on foot to the station.
A clause + くらい or ほど describes how far a state goes: "so … that".
足が痛くて、歩けないくらいだ。My feet hurt so much I can barely walk.
A は B ほど … ない: A is not as … as B. Only ほど works here.
今年の夏は去年ほど暑くない。This summer is not as hot as last year.
B ほど … はない: nothing is as … as B.
健康ほど大切なものはない。Nothing is as important as health.
くらい can set a minimum: "at least that much".
自分の部屋くらい自分で掃除しなさい。At least clean your own room yourself.
A closer look
Where ほど and くらい overlap, and where they do not
After a number, both mean "about", and the choice is about tone: ほど for the polite and the written, くらい for conversation. For "so … that", both work, and ほど pushes the exaggeration a little further.
Only ほど compares in the negative — "not as … as" — and only くらい sets a minimum or makes something sound small: 電話くらいしてよ, "you could at least call". For equality in a positive sentence, 同じくらい is the form; 同じほど is rare.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the English is a positive "as … as"
use と同じくらい, not ほど.
弟は父と同じくらい背が高い。My younger brother is as tall as my father.
ほど marks a limit that is not reached, which only makes sense in the negative. Equality needs a word that says "the same".
How to spot it
- くらい
- ぐらい
- ほど
- ほど〜ない
- ほど〜はない
- と同じくらい
Example sentences
会議は一時間くらいで終わると思います。I think the meeting will finish in about an hour.
三日ほどお休みをいただきます。I will be taking about three days off.
昨日は死ぬほど疲れた。I was dead tired yesterday.
言葉が出ないくらい美しい景色だった。The view was so beautiful I was lost for words.
私の日本語は姉ほど上手ではありません。My Japanese is not as good as my older sister's.
旅行ほど楽しいものはない。Nothing is as much fun as travelling.
8 more example sentences
駅まで車で20分くらいかかります。It takes about twenty minutes by car to the station.
この料理は涙が出るほど辛い。This dish is so spicy it makes your eyes water.
笑いが止まらないくらい面白い映画だった。The film was so funny I could not stop laughing.
試験は思ったほど難しくなかった。The exam was not as hard as I had thought.
彼ほど真面目な人はいない。There is nobody as conscientious as he is.
電話くらいしてくれればよかったのに。You could at least have phoned.
会場には百人ほどの人が集まった。About a hundred people gathered at the venue.
子どもでも分かるくらい簡単な説明だった。The explanation was so simple that even a child could understand it.
Worth knowing (1)
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くらい and ぐらい
Both spellings are correct and mean the same. Many speakers say ぐらい after a noun or a number and くらい after a verb or an adjective, but this is a tendency, not a rule.
どのぐらい時間がかかりますか。About how long does it take?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
ほど compares only in a negative sentence: "not as cold as yesterday". English "as cold as" in a positive sentence is 昨日と同じくらい寒い. Without the negative, ほど has nothing to measure against.
Not as … as takes ほど and a negative; at least takes くらい.
Your turn
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