〜はおろか (wa oroka)

JLPT N1 Let alone ~ — not even …

Meaning

“Let alone ~ / not to mention ~.” Not the bigger thing, and not even the smaller, easier one.

Formation

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

Examples

難しい漢字はおろか、簡単なひらがなさえ読めない。

Muzukashii kanji wa oroka, kantan na hiragana sae yomenai. — Let alone difficult kanji, he can't even read simple hiragana.

海外旅行はおろか、国内旅行にも行ったことがない。

Kaigai ryokō wa oroka, kokunai ryokō ni mo itta koto ga nai. — Let alone traveling abroad, I've never even traveled domestically.

貯金はおろか、毎月の生活費も足りない。

Chokin wa oroka, maitsuki no seikatsuhi mo tarinai. — Let alone savings, I don't even have enough for monthly living costs.

How it works

It dismisses the obvious bigger case and drives home the point with an even more basic one, marked by さえ / も. The second clause is negative.

The emphasis lands on the second, smaller item: “not even that.”

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜はおろか — “let alone ~,” and not even the easier thing (negative)

• 〜どころか — “far from ~,” denies X, states the opposite

• 〜はもちろん — “~ of course, and also,” both are true (positive)

Common mistakes

• The sentence must be negative and usually needs さえ/も on the second item.

• Attach to a noun: 漢字はおろか (not 漢字なはおろか).

Related grammar

• 〜どころか — far from ~

• 〜すら / さえ — even ~

• 〜はもちろん — ~ of course, and also