〜ほど / 〜しか〜ない

JLPT N4 Japanese self-study　·　~12 min　·　Degree & limitation — as much as / only

'Not as hard as I thought.' 'I only have 500 yen.' ほど expresses extent or comparison; しか expresses surprising limitation.

What you'll learn

• 〜ほど: as much as / to the extent of (degree expression)
• 〜しか〜ない: only ~ / nothing but ~ (with negative verb)
• Distinguish ほど (comparison/degree) from しか (limitation)

How to study “〜ほど / 〜しか〜ない”

“〜ほど / 〜しか〜ない” (Degree & limitation — as much as / only) is a JLPT N4 chapter of our free Japanese self-study course, about 12 min. You learn by doing — flashcard drills and fill-in-the-blank quizzes graded on the spot — completely free, with no sign-up and no ad wall. Once it clicks, read the matching in-depth explainer over in Grammar.