connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜どころか — far from ~ / on the contrary
〜どころか ・ どころか
Meaning
- far from ~ / on the contrary / let alone ~ — denies a mild expectation and replaces it with something at the opposite extreme
Key sentence
謝るどころか、彼は逆に怒り出した。
Far from apologizing, he actually got angry.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / plain-form word + どころか | [N / plain] + どころか | 感謝どころか / 楽しいどころか |
Examples
貯金どころか、借金まである。
Far from having savings, I'm even in debt.
一キロどころか、百メートルも走れない。
Let alone a kilometer, I can't even run a hundred meters.
Easily confused with
かえって かえって ('on the contrary, instead') is an adverb noting that the *result* was the reverse of what you'd expect; どころか attaches to a noun/clause to flatly reject a stated level and jump to the opposite — and the two often appear together (謝るどころか、かえって怒った). どころではない どころではない = 'this is no time/situation for ~' (circumstances rule it out); どころか = 'far from ~, in fact the opposite' (reverses an expectation). Different jobs despite the shared どころ.
Notes
- Typically A どころか B, where B is more extreme than A in the same direction — denying A as an understatement. Pairs with まで / も in the second half (借金まで, 'even debt').
See 〜どころか in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜どころか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.