Let alone: 〜はおろか
名詞 + はおろか、〜も／さえ／まで
A はおろか B も／さえ = “not even B, let alone A”: going one better, often negative, with frustration. Never for a wish or an order.
In short
A はおろか B も: “A — don't even mention it; even B…”. A is the obvious case, B a more basic or more extreme case that drives the point home. The sentence is most often negative (漢字はおろか、ひらがなも書けない) and expresses astonishment, disappointment or reproach. No wish, order or hope in what follows. Written and formal spoken register.
- 彼は漢字はおろか、ひらがなも書けない。かれはかんじはおろか、ひらがなもかけない。He can't even write hiragana, let alone kanji.
- 忙しくて、旅行はおろか、休日に休むことさえできない。いそがしくて、りょこうはおろか、きゅうじつにやすむことさえできない。I'm so busy I can't even rest at weekends, let alone go travelling.
- その歌は国内はおろか、海外でまで大ヒットした。そのうたはこくないはおろか、かいがいでまでだいヒットした。The song was a huge hit not just at home, but even abroad.
The basics
おろか comes from 愚か (“foolish”): “it would be foolish even to mention A”. A はおろか B も thus says “A is out of the question; even B (much simpler) isn't achieved”. You start from the obvious case and end with the most striking one — just like English “let alone”, though in the reverse order.
He can't even write hiragana, let alone kanji.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 漢字はおろか、ひらがなも書けない。かんじはおろか、ひらがなもかけない。He can't even write hiragana, let alone kanji.
- 貯金はおろか、来月の家賃さえ払えるかどうかわからない。ちょきんはおろか、らいげつのやちんさえはらえるかどうかわからない。I don't even know if I can pay next month's rent, let alone save.
How to form it
A is a noun (or a verb nominalised with こと). B is highlighted with も, さえ, すら or まで. The sentence is often negative; with まで, it can be affirmative and describe a surprising extension.
| Construction | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A はおろか B も〜ない | 漢字はおろかひらがなも書けない | not even B, let alone A |
| A はおろか B さえ〜ない | 旅行はおろか休むことさえできない | not even B (emphatic) |
| A はおろか B まで〜 | 国内はおろか海外でまでヒット | not only A, but as far as B |
| verb + ことはおろか | 走ることはおろか | nominalised verb |
- 大雪で、電車はおろか、バスまで止まってしまった。おおゆきで、でんしゃはおろか、バスまでとまってしまった。With the heavy snow, even the buses stopped, never mind the trains.
No wishes or orders
はおろか describes a real situation, with astonishment or frustration. It isn't used to express a wish (〜たい), an invitation, an order or an intention. For “not only… but also” in a plan, you say はもちろん or だけでなく.
- 日本語はもちろん、韓国語も勉強したい。にほんごはもちろん、かんこくごもべんきょうしたい。I want to study Japanese, of course, but Korean too.
はおろか, どころか, はもちろん, ばかりか
どころか is very close and more common; it can also introduce a reversal (“on the contrary”). はもちろん is neutral and accepts wishes and plans. ばかりか (“not only”) is mainly descriptive. はおろか adds a nuance of frustration or astonishment.
| Form | Nuance | Wish, order? |
|---|---|---|
| 〜はおろか | frustration, astonishment, written | no |
| 〜どころか | going one better or reversal | no |
| 〜はもちろん | neutral, “of course” | yes |
| 〜ばかりか | “not only”, descriptive | no |
- 雨はやむどころか、ますます激しくなった。あめはやむどころか、ますますはげしくなった。Far from stopping, the rain got heavier.
Common mistakes
- Putting a wish after はおろか: “英語はおろかフランス語も話したい” is wrong; you say はもちろん.
- Swapping A and B: A is the obvious case, B the more basic one (漢字はおろか、ひらがなも).
- Forgetting も, さえ or まで after B: they carry the emphasis.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokuriku Line (Arts and crafts) of the Shinkansen.