〜ほど〜ない
- 1A is not as ~ as B; A does not reach B's degree of the quality.Ex. 1
- 2One action or thing is not as ~ as another, with the standard often a verb + こと phrase.Ex. 2
Negative predicate: い-adjective 〜くない, な-adjective 〜ではない / じゃない, or verb ない-form
Polite: add です after 〜くない or use 〜ありません（高くないです）
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A neutral pattern used in both conversation and writing to say that something falls short of a standard. It states that A does not reach B's level rather than stating that B has more, so it often sounds softer than a direct より comparison. Frequently used with と思います to give a mild opinion.
Note that the item before ほど is the standard, the one with more of the quality, not the item being described.
Learners wanting 'A is as ~ as B' should normally use Bと同じくらい, since comparative ほど is typically paired with a negative predicate.
Do not read Bほど〜ない as saying B lacks the quality; it only says A falls short of B's level.
- より〜ほうがN5「より〜ほうが」 can be used in the affirmative to state directly that B is greater in degree, and it often answers a 「どちらが」 question. The higher item takes 「ほうが」, and when a noun takes 「ほうが」, 「の」 is inserted between them. When expressing the same gap, the two patterns can be rephrased into each other.
- くらい / ぐらいN5「くらい」 can express approximate amounts and durations, equal degree (「同じくらい」), and mild degree, while 「ほど〜ない」 specifically means A falls short of B and must end in a negative form. For degree, 「くらい」 is more colloquial than 「ほど」.
- 〜ば〜ほどN2「〜ば〜ほど」 means “the more…, the more…”, repeating the same word in both halves (the first half usually uses the ば-form), and the sentence need not end in a negative. 「ほど〜ない」 is a negative comparison meaning “A is not as … as B”, with the comparison standard placed before 「ほど」. They are not interchangeable.
- ほどN3「ほど」 illustrates a high degree with a concrete or exaggerated example (e.g. 「死ぬほど」), and can also follow a counter word to mean “about”, with no restriction to negative sentence endings. 「〜ほど〜ない」 specifically means “A does not reach B”, and must end in a negative form, so the two cannot simply be swapped.
- よりN5「より」 means “than”, and its predicate can be either affirmative or negative; in written language it can also mark a starting point, “from…”. 「AはBほど〜ない」 can roughly be rephrased as 「BはAより〜」, but the two sides of the comparison must be swapped.
より and より〜ほうが mark the standard and state which item has more of a quality. They can also take negative predicates, but then they simply deny 'more than', whereas 〜ほど〜ない says A does not reach B's level. くらい / ぐらい and ほど on their own express extent or degree (including affirmative uses such as 死ぬほど), and 〜ば〜ほど means 'the more…, the more…'.
