Why Don’t You Use それほど? Native Speakers Often Use

2019年3月14日2026年4月22日

why-dont-you-use-sorehodo-native-speakers-often-use

Yuka

I’ve heard それほど but I’m not quite sure how to use it. Is it the same as そんなに?

Rei

They’re closely related but それほど has a slightly more formal tone and is often used in negative sentences to mean ‘not that much’ or ‘not to that extent.’ Let me show you the full picture!

それほど means “to that extent,” “that much,” or “so.” It’s most commonly used in negative sentences (それほど〜ない = not that much / not so ~) but also appears in affirmative contexts. Mastering it will add a natural, nuanced quality to your Japanese.

TOC

At a Glance

Pattern	Meaning	Example
それほど + negative	Not that much / not so ~	それほど難しくない。(Not that difficult.)
それほど + affirmative	That much / to that extent	それほど大事なことだ。(It’s that important.)
それほどでも	Not really / not that great	それほどでもないよ。(It’s not that great.)
それほどまでに	To such an extent / that much	それほどまでに頑張ったの？(Did you work that hard?)

それほど + Negative: “Not That Much”

The most common use — expressing that something isn’t as much or as extreme as expected:

この問題はそれほど難しくない。— This problem isn’t that difficult.
彼女のことはそれほど知らない。— I don’t know her that well.
それほど遠くないよ。— It’s not that far.
値段はそれほど高くなかった。— The price wasn’t that high.
それほど気にしなくていいよ。— You don’t need to worry about it that much.

それほどでもない: Humble Deflection

それほどでもない is a very common expression used to humbly deflect a compliment — “It’s not that great” or “Not really”:

「日本語が上手ですね。」「それほどでもないです。」— ‘Your Japanese is great.’ ‘It’s not that great (I’m not that good).’
「すごいね！」「いや、それほどでもないよ。」— ‘Amazing!’ ‘No no, it’s not that impressive.’

Yuka

It sounds like それほどでもない is similar to saying ‘Oh, not really’ when someone compliments you. Very humble!

Rei

Exactly! It’s one of the most natural humble deflections in Japanese. Instead of accepting a compliment directly, you soften it with それほどでもない. Very culturally appropriate!

それほど in Affirmative Sentences

In affirmative sentences, それほど emphasizes the degree — “to that extent” or “that much”:

それほど大切な問題だ。— It’s an issue of that much importance.
それほどまでに努力したのか。— Did you really put in that much effort?
それほど好きだとは思わなかった。— I didn’t realize you liked it that much.

それほど vs そんなに

	それほど	そんなに
Register	Slightly formal, written	Casual, spoken
Negative use	それほど難しくない	そんなに難しくない
Affirmative	Less common	そんなに好きなの？(Do you like it that much?)
Interchangeable?	Often, especially in neg.	Yes, in casual speech

Quick Quiz

「上手ですね。」「___でもないです。」(humble deflection) → それほど
この映画は___面白くなかった。(not that interesting) → それほど
___まで頑張ったの？すごい！(to that extent) → それほど
___遠くないから歩こう。(not that far) → それほど

Summary

Pattern	Use
それほど〜ない	Not that ~ / not to that extent (most common)
それほどでもない	Humble deflection of a compliment
それほど〜だ	Emphasizing a high degree (affirmative)

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