ほど～ない (hodo~nai)
A ほど～ない — not as ～ as A
Pattern
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AはBほど＋形容詞否定A は B ほど + negative adjective/verb
Meaning and connection
B is the standard and A falls short of it. It follows nouns and the plain form of verbs and adjectives; 思ったほど (as much as I thought) is very common. The predicate must be negative: ～ない, ～ではない, ～なかった.
Notes
Close to AはBより～ない, but ほど carries a feeling of 'not to that extent.' A positive predicate does not make the comparison; positive ほど is the 'extent' pattern.
Examples
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今年（ことし）は去年（きょねん）ほど暑（あつ）くない。
Kotoshi wa kyonen hodo atsukunai.
This year is not as hot as last year.
-
私（わたし）は姉（あね）ほど料理（りょうり）が上手（じょうず）ではない。
Watashi wa ane hodo ryōri ga jōzu de wa nai.
I'm not as good at cooking as my older sister.
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この問題（もんだい）は思（おも）ったほど難（むずか）しくなかった。
Kono mondai wa omotta hodo muzukashikunakatta.
This problem wasn't as difficult as I had thought.
Common mistakes
- The predicate must be negative. 去年ほど暑い does not make a comparison.
- B, the standard, is the higher one. Do not reverse the order.
More grammar points
- あまり あまりの～に — so ～ that ～
- あまりにも あまりにも — far too ～, excessively
- ば～ほど ～ば～ほど — the more ～, the more ～
- 別（べつ）に～ない 別に～ない — not particularly ～
- だけ だけ — only, just; as much as ～
- どうしても どうしても — no matter what, absolutely
- ほど ～ほど — to the extent of ～
- 決（けっ）して～ない 決して～ない — never ～
- くらい / ぐらい くらい／ぐらい — about ～, to the extent of ～
- めったに～ない めったに～ない — rarely ～
- なかなか なかなか — quite / (not) easily
- なるべく なるべく — as much as possible
- に比（くら）べて ～に比べて — compared with ～
- さえ ～さえ — even ～
- せいぜい せいぜい — at most / at best
- 数量（すうりょう） + は 数量＋は — “at least (amount)”
- とても～ない とても～ない — “can't possibly ～”
- よりも ～よりも — “more than ～ / rather than ～”
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