far from, not only... but

Intermediate

20-25 min

common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Indicates something exceeds expectations in a direction.

[Noun/Verb plain form] + どころか

手伝うどころか、邪魔をした。

Tetsudau dokoro ka, jama wo shita.

Far from helping, they got in the way.

日本語どころか、英語もできない。

Nihongo dokoro ka, eigo mo dekinai.

Not only Japanese, they cannot even speak English.

Emphasizes opposite or more extreme reality.

～かわりに

instead of, in exchange for

～ために (tame ni)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~

～のに (noni)

although ~, despite ~, even though ~

～にもかかわらず

despite ~, in spite of ~

～ようになる

come to ~, become able to ~, reach the point where ~

Often emphasizes negative outcomes.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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