particle N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜ほか — other than / besides ~ (〜のほか)
〜ほか ・ ほか
Meaning
- other than ~ / besides ~ / in addition to ~ — names one thing and points to what lies outside or beyond it
Key sentence
日本語のほか、中国語も勉強している。
Besides Japanese, I'm also studying Chinese.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + のほか（に） | 仕事のほかに |
| Verb (plain) | V(plain) + ほか（は）ない | 待つほかない |
Examples
この料理のほかに、何かおすすめはありますか。
Besides this dish, is there anything else you'd recommend?
彼のほかに頼れる人はいない。
There's no one I can rely on besides him.
Easily confused with
〜以外 Near-synonyms for 'other than.' 以外 is sharper and more written ('excluding ~'); 〜のほか leans 'in addition to ~' and feels a touch softer and more conversational. ほかに(も) 〜のほか attaches to a noun within the sentence. ほかにも stands on its own as an adverb meaning 'in addition / there are others too' (ほかにも質問がある).
Notes
- Attached to a plain verb, 〜ほか(は)ない means 'have no choice but to ~' (やるほかない = 'there's nothing for it but to do it') — a separate fixed pattern from the 'besides' noun usage.
See 〜ほか in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ほか 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Editorial confidence: medium.