「どころか」- Contrasting Reality with Expectations

Explanation

どころか is a highly practical Japanese grammatical structure used to express "far from... instead..." It emphasizes the contrast between expectations and reality, and is typically used with the dictionary form of verbs, い-adjectives, the noun-modifying form of な-adjectives, and nouns.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
どころか	Dictionary form of verbs / い-adjectives / Noun-modifying form of な-adjectives + どころか	Expresses "far from... instead..." indicating a contrast with expectations.

Basic Usage

どころか is used to convey "far from... even..." meaning that the reality falls far short of expectations, or the situation is even worse.

Examples

• 医者いしゃには二、三日にさんにちで治なおると言いわれたが、よくなるよくなるどころかますます悪わるくなってしまった。
• Isha ni wa ni-san-nichi de naoru to iwareta ga, yoku naru dokoro ka masumasu waruku natte shimatta.
• The doctor said I'd recover in two or three days, but far from getting better, I got worse.
  

• 雨あめは弱よわまるどころか、ますます強つよくなってきた。
• Ame wa yowamaru dokoro ka, masumasu tsuyoku natte kita.
• Far from weakening, the rain has gotten heavier.
  

• 貯金ちょきんするどころか、急きゅうな出費しゅっぴで赤字あかじ続つづきだ。
• Chokin suru dokoro ka, kyuu na shuppi de akaji tsuzuki da.
• Far from saving money, I'm continuously in the red due to sudden expenses.
  

• このままでは彼女かのじょと恋人こいびとどころか友達ともだちにもなれない。
• Kono mama de wa kanojo to koibito dokoro ka, tomodachi ni mo narenai.
• If things continue like this, far from becoming her lover, I won't even be able to be her friend.
  

• 知り合しりあいどころか親戚しんせきすらいない。
• Shiriai dokoro ka, shinseki sura inai.
• Far from acquaintances, I don't even have any relatives.
  

• 年末年始ねんまつねんしだというのに、大掃除おおそうじどころか普通ふつうの掃除そうじすらサボった。
• Nenmatsu nenshi da to iu noni, oosouji dokoro ka, futsuu no souji sura sabotta.
• Even though it's the end of the year, far from doing a big cleaning, I even skipped the regular cleaning.
  

Deep Dive

どころか can be used not only for simple negative comparisons but also in more complex sentence structures, such as "～どころか～も～ない" or "～どころか～さえも～ない." These structures emphasize that not only did a certain action or state not occur, but even more basic things were not accomplished.

Examples

• 熱ねつを出だしてしまい、ご飯ごはんを食たべるどころか立たち上あがることすらもできなくなった。
• Netsu o dashite shimai, gohan o taberu dokoro ka, tachiagaru koto sura mo dekinaku natta.
• I got a fever, and far from eating, I can't even stand up.
  

• 脚あしが痛いたくて山頂さんちょうどころか、７合目ななごうめにも辿たどり着つけない気きがする。
• Ashi ga itakute sanchou dokoro ka, nana-goume ni mo tadoritsukenai ki ga suru.
• My legs hurt so much that far from reaching the summit, I feel like I can't even make it to the seventh station.
  

Summary

どころか is a highly useful Japanese expression that helps accurately convey contrasts between expectations and reality. Understanding its basic structure and meaning, and practicing its use, can greatly enhance the richness and accuracy of your Japanese language expression.