～はおろか

How to form it

• Noun + はおろか + noun + (さえ/も) + negative

Register: Formal to neutral

Explanation

Says that a more extreme or demanding item (A) is obviously not the case, so even the lesser item (B) is not either. In English: 'not even B, let alone A'. It stresses a negative situation.

Mostly with negative endings, but a negative situation can also be stated positively, as in 貯金はおろか、借金まである. The second item is often marked with さえ or も.

Examples

1. 漢字はおろか、ひらがなも書けない。

   かんじはおろか、ひらがなもかけない。

   He can't even write hiragana, let alone kanji.

2. 海外旅行はおろか、国内旅行もしたことがない。

   かいがいりょこうはおろか、こくないりょこうもしたことがない。

   I've never even travelled in Japan, let alone abroad.

3. 貯金はおろか、借金まである。

   ちょきんはおろか、しゃっきんまである。

   Not only do I have no savings, I even have debts.

Compare with

• ～はもちろん: はもちろん is for positive sentences; はおろか is for negative ones.
• ～どころか: どころか contrasts expectation and reality; はおろか sets a less extreme item aside.

Common mistakes

• Using it for a clearly positive situation. It stresses something negative.