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JLPT N3Emphasis

～どころか— Far From, Let Alone

Used to strongly negate an expectation and reveal that reality is the opposite or far beyond it. It has two shades: 'far from ~ (actually the opposite)' and 'let alone ~ (not even the smaller thing)'. It emphasizes the gap between what was assumed and what is true.

Grammar path · 練習

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A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 52 · EMPHASIS

Structure · 形

[Plain form / Noun / adj] + どころか

Examples · 例文

  • 彼は謝るどころか、逆に怒り出した。

    Kare wa ayamaru dokoro ka, gyaku ni okoridashita.

    Far from apologizing, he actually got angry.

    どころか shows the reality (getting angry) is the opposite of the expectation (apologizing).

  • 漢字どころか、ひらがなも読めません。

    Kanji dokoro ka, hiragana mo yomemasen.

    Let alone kanji, I can't even read hiragana.

    どころか dismisses the bigger item (kanji) to stress even the smaller (hiragana) is impossible.

  • 休むどころか、週末も働いている。

    Yasumu dokoro ka, shuumatsu mo hataraite iru.

    Far from resting, I'm working on weekends too.

    どころか contrasts the expected 'resting' with the harsher reality.

Usage notes · 注意

  • The second clause often uses も or さえ to intensify ('not even ~').
  • Carries an emotional, emphatic tone of surprise or complaint.
  • Register: neutral to slightly emphatic; common in conversation.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～どころか is tested against.

vs～ばかりか

ばかりか adds more on top ('not only A but also B'), while どころか flips to the opposite of what was expected.

vs～はもちろん

はもちろん says 'of course A, and also B (both true)', whereas どころか denies A entirely to highlight B.

More emphasis

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