N3 Contrast, Comparison, and Concession

~ほど…は…ない/~くらい…は…ない: meaning, usage and examples

~ほど…は…ない/~くらい…は…ない means: ...is not as... as... / (no one) is as... as...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

How to form it

＜Noun＞ + ほど + ＜adj / verb ない-form＞ / ＜Noun＞ + ほど(くらい) + ＜adj＞ + ＜Noun＞ + は + ない

Examples

彼女かのじょほど歌うたが上手じょうずな人ひとはいません。
No one sings as well as she does.
今年ことしほど暑あつい夏なつはなかった。
There has never been a summer as hot as this one.
今日きょうのテストは、思おもったほど難むずかしくありませんでした。
Today's test wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
家族かぞくほど大切たいせつなものはありません。
Nothing is as important as family.

When to use it

Has two uses. A ほど B ない means 'A is not as B as...': 今日きょうは昨日きのうほど寒さむくない 'today is not as cold as yesterday'. X ほど Y な N はない means 'there is no N as Y as X', a way to say X is the most: 彼女かのじょほど歌うたが上手じょうずな人ひとはいない 'no one sings as well as she does'.

Nuance

The first use is a mild comparison and is very common in speech. The second use is strong praise or emotion, and often appears with いない for people, ない for things, and なかった for past experience. くらい is a slightly more casual version of the second use.

Compare

Compare より: 昨日きのうより寒さむい is a plain 'colder than'. 昨日きのうほど寒さむくない adds 'not as...' and needs a negative verb. Compare いちばん: 彼女かのじょがいちばん上手じょうず is direct; 彼女かのじょほど上手じょうずな人ひとはいない sounds stronger and more emotional.

Tip: ほど comparison always ends in a negative. 昨日きのうほど寒さむい is wrong; for a positive comparison, use より.

Frequently asked questions

What does ~ほど…は…ない/~くらい…は…ない mean?

...is not as... as... / (no one) is as... as.... Example: 彼女かのじょほど歌うたが上手じょうずな人ひとはいません。 (No one sings as well as she does.)

How do you form ~ほど…は…ない/~くらい…は…ない?

＜Noun＞ + ほど + ＜adj / verb ない-form＞ / ＜Noun＞ + ほど(くらい) + ＜adj＞ + ＜Noun＞ + は + ない. ほど comparison always ends in a negative. 昨日きのうほど寒さむい is wrong; for a positive comparison, use より.