ほど〜ない

Not as Much as

Level 2Sounds Like hodo~nai

A is not as [adjective/verb] as B.

How It Works

This pattern is a fundamental way to express inequality in Japanese. While より is used for 'more than' comparisons, ほど〜ない is the natural choice for 'not as much as.'

1. Structure:
The basic pattern is: [Subject] は [Standard] ほど [Negative Predicate].

  • Noun + ほど + Negative: The most common form. Example: 去年（きょねん）ほど暑（あつ）くない (Not as hot as last year). Here, 'last year' is the higher standard of heat.
  • Verb (Dictionary or Past Form) + ほど + Negative: Used to compare actions or expectations. Using the past tense (た form) with verbs like 思う（おもう） (to think) is very common. Example: 思っ（おも）ったほど寒（さむ）くない (Not as cold as I thought).

2. Superlative Usage:
When you want to say 'Nothing is more [Adjective] than [Noun],' use the structure: [Noun] ほど [Adjective] [Noun/Person] はいない/ない. Example: 彼女（かのじょ）ほど歌（うた）が上手（じょうず）な人はいない (There is no one as good at singing as her).

3. Nuance:
Using ほど implies that the standard is quite significant. If you say 'Today is not as hot as yesterday' using this pattern, you are implying that yesterday was notably hot.

4. Adjective Conjugation:
Remember that the predicate must be negative:

  • い-adjectives: 寒（さむ）くない, 高（たか）くない
  • な-adjectives: 有名（ゆうめい）ではない, 静（しず）かじゃない

Examples (5)

  1. 今日は昨日ほど寒くないです。

    Today is not as cold as yesterday.

    Word by Word: Today as-for yesterday extent cold-not is.

    Yesterday is the standard of coldness, and today does not reach that level.

  2. テストは思ったほど難しくなかった。

    The test wasn't as difficult as I thought.

    Word by Word: Test as-for thought extent difficult-not-past.

    This uses the past tense of the verb 思う（おもう） to compare the reality to a previous expectation.

  3. 彼ほど親切な人はいない。

    There is no one as kind as him.

    Word by Word: Him extent kind person as-for exist-not.

    This is a superlative usage meaning 'He is the kindest person.' It uses the structure [Noun] ほど [Noun] はいない.

  4. 漢字を書くことは、読むことほど簡単ではない。

    Writing kanji is not as easy as reading it.

    Word by Word: Kanji (object) write thing as-for, read thing extent easy is-not.

    Two actions are compared using the nominalizer こと.

  5. この映画は、噂ほど面白くありませんでした。

    This movie was not as interesting as the rumors suggested.

    Word by Word: This movie as-for, rumors extent interesting is-not-past.

    Compares the movie's quality to the 'standard' set by the rumors.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an affirmative (positive) ending.

    今日は昨日ほど暑い。
    今日は昨日ほど暑くない。

    In this comparative sense, ほど must be paired with a negative verb or adjective. Without the negative, the sentence is grammatically incomplete or changes meaning entirely.

  • Confusing the subject and the standard.

    昨日ほど今日は暑くない。
    今日は昨日ほど暑くない。

    The item marked with ほど is always the 'higher standard' that the other item fails to reach. In 'A は B ほど〜ない', A is the lesser one.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ほど〜ないLevel 2Not as Much as

Learn This First

To understand 'ほど〜ない', you first need to be familiar with the particle 'ほど' (extent/degree) and how Japanese handles comparisons. Since this pattern specifically uses a negative verb or adjective to say something 'is not as... as...', familiarity with other negative degree structures like 'あまり〜ない' is also helpful.

Words in This Pattern