connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜ほど〜ない — not as ~ as
〜ほど〜ない ・ ほどない
Meaning
- not as ~ as ~ — denies that something reaches the degree set by the ほど standard
ほど marks a yardstick of degree, and the negative predicate says the subject falls short of it: 今日は昨日ほど寒くない ('today isn't as cold as yesterday'). The ほど phrase is the higher benchmark; the subject is *less*. It's the natural way to say 'not as…as' — and unlike a より comparison, it only works in the negative.
Key sentence
今日は昨日ほど暑くない。
Today isn't as hot as yesterday.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / verb (plain) + ほど + negative predicate | N / V + ほど + 〜ない | 彼ほど / 思ったほど |
Examples
この映画は評判ほど面白くなかった。
This movie wasn't as interesting as its reputation.
テストは思ったほど難しくなかった。
The test wasn't as hard as I'd thought.
私は兄ほど背が高くない。
I'm not as tall as my older brother.
Easily confused with
〜より より states a positive comparison ('A is more ~ than B'); 〜ほど〜ない states the negative ('A is not as ~ as B'). 兄より高い (taller than) vs 兄ほど高くない (not as tall as). 〜ほど Same ほど 'extent' word; here it specifically sets the benchmark a negative then falls short of. Its other uses (〜ば〜ほど proportional, 'to the extent that') are affirmative.
Notes
- The ほど clause names the *upper* standard, so the subject is always the lesser one — there's no affirmative 'A is as ~ as B' with this pattern (use 〜と同じくらい for equality).
See 〜ほど〜ない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ほど〜ない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo