Lesson 170: はおろか・すら・ただ〜のみ・にとどまらず

N1 · Lesson 170 · 18 min — Extreme examples, "only this one," and widening the range: Rin tells the ward mayor about his two years.

Last lesson, Rin said 「お忙いそがしい ところを ありがとう ございます」 in the ward mayor's office. He also introduced 「谷中やなかならではの 景色けしき」. In this lesson, the mayor asks what Rin was like when he first came to Japan. We learn four formal, written-style patterns: はおろか (let alone ~, not even ~), すら (even ~), ただ〜のみ (only ~) and にとどまらず (not limited to ~). Let's start with the comic!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use はおろか to say "let alone ~, not even ~": 新聞しんぶんは おろか、ひらがなすら 読よめなかった
• Use すら／ですら to give an extreme example, "even ~": 専門家せんもんかですら わからない
• Use ただ〜のみ for "only ~" and ただ〜のみならず for "not only ~": ただ 待まつのみだ
• Use にとどまらず for "not limited to ~, it spread to ~": 谷中やなかに とどまらず、全国ぜんこくに 広ひろがった

Me, Two Years Ago

The ward mayor interview is under way. The mayor asks, "What were you like when you first came to Japan?" (新聞しんぶん=newspaper, 思おもい=wish, 歴史れきし=history, 伝つたえる=pass on, 〜の分ぶん=someone's share)

はおろか・すら = not even ~; ただ～のみ = only ~; にとどまらず = not limited to ~. Next lesson: the ward mayor secretly comes to eat ramen at くまや!

Words for this lesson: extremes, only, spreading

• 〜はおろか (wa oroka): let alone ~ (not even ~)
• 〜すら (sura): even ~ (formal)
• ただ〜のみ (tada nomi): only ~, just ~ (formal)
• 〜にとどまらず (ni todomarazu): not limited to ~ (spreading to ~)
• 新聞しんぶん (shinbun): newspaper
• 会話かいわ (kaiwa): conversation
• 思おもい (omoi): wish, thought, feeling
• 歴史れきし (rekishi): history
• 伝つたえる (tsutaeru): to convey, to pass on
• 〜の分ぶん (no bun): someone's share
• お菓子かし (okashi): sweets, snacks
• 専門家せんもんか (senmonka): expert
• 樹齢じゅれい (jurei): age of a tree
• 署名運動しょめいうんどう (shomei undō): signature campaign
• 広ひろがる (hirogaru): to spread, to expand
• 全国ぜんこく (zenkoku): the whole country
• 全体ぜんたい (zentai): the whole, entire
• アルバイト先さき (arubaito saki): part-time workplace
• 勇気ゆうき (yūki): courage
• 結果けっか (kekka): result
• 正月しょうがつ (shōgatsu): New Year
• 散歩さんぽ (sanpo): a walk
• 観光客かんこうきゃく (kankōkyaku): tourist
• 町内ちょうない (chōnai): in the neighborhood, in town

Grammar 1 / 4: はおろか

N₁＋はおろか、N₂＋も／さえ／すら = never mind N₁, not even N₂. N₁ is the thing that is "obviously (not) so," and N₂ is a more basic, smaller thing. 新聞しんぶんは おろか、ひらがなすら 読よめなかった = Never mind newspapers, he couldn't even read hiragana. (In English you would say it the other way round: "He couldn't read hiragana, let alone newspapers.")

• Form: N₁＋はおろか、N₂＋も／さえ／すら: Put a noun plus は right before おろか. The N₂ after it usually takes も, さえ or すら, which means "even."
• Meaning: let alone ~, not even ~: N₁ is something everyone expects, so it goes without saying. N₂ is a more basic or more surprising example. It is close to はもちろん, but はおろか is mostly used for negative, impossible or surprising things (it can also appear in positive sentences, like 国内こくないは おろか、海外かいがいでも 有名ゆうめいだ).
• Order: big first, small next: In 「新聞しんぶんは おろか、ひらがなすら」, reading a newspaper is harder than reading hiragana, so the newspaper comes first. If you reverse the order, it stops making sense.
• Limits: no invitations, commands or will: はおろか describes a fact (usually a surprising or disappointing one). To say "not only ~, let's also ~," use だけで なく.

• 新聞しんぶんは おろか、ひらがなすら 読よめなかった。 — Never mind newspapers, he couldn't even read hiragana.
• 祖父そふは 旅行りょこうは おろか、散歩さんぽさえ できなかった。 — Never mind traveling, Grandpa couldn't even take a walk.
• 熊太くまたは 週末しゅうまつは おろか、お正月しょうがつも 休やすめなかった。 — Never mind weekends, Kumata couldn't even rest at New Year.
• 先生せんせいは 道みちは おろか、駅えきの 名前なまえさえ 覚おぼえて いない。 — Never mind the roads, the teacher couldn't even remember the station names.
• 昔むかし、この 町まちは 外国がいこくの 人ひとは おろか、東京とうきょうの 人ひとにも あまり 知しられて いなかった。 — In the past, this town was hardly known even to people from Tokyo, let alone foreigners.

Grammar 2 / 4: すら

N＋すら／N＋ですら = even N ~: give one extreme example, which hints that "everything else goes without saying." 専門家せんもんかですら わからない = Even experts don't know.

• Form: N＋すら／N＋ですら: すら goes right after the noun and replaces が or を. When the subject is a person or a group, ですら is common (専門家せんもんかですら). A verb usually becomes 「Vこと」 first: 立たつ ことすら.
• Meaning: even ~: You give one extreme example so people think "the rest goes without saying." The earlier pattern はおろか is also often followed by すら: 新聞しんぶんは おろか、ひらがなすら.
• すら and さえ: The meanings are almost the same, but すら is more formal and stiff, and mostly used in negative or bad-news sentences. The "as long as ~" pattern 〜さえ〜ば can't be replaced with すら.
• Where to use it: Speeches, writing and formal conversation. When chatting with friends, も or さえ sounds more natural: 「あ」も 書かけなかった.

• 最初さいしょは「あ」すら 書かけなかった。 — At first, I couldn't even write あ.
• 専門家せんもんかですら、この 木きの 樹齢じゅれいは わからない。 — Even experts don't know the age of this tree.
• 疲つかれて、立たつ ことすら できなかった。 — I was so tired that I couldn't even stand up.
• 祖父そふは 足あしが 痛いたくて、歩あるく ことすら 大変たいへんだった。 — Grandpa's leg hurt, so even walking was hard.
• あの 日ひは 水みずを 飲のむ 時間じかんすら なかった。 — That day, I didn't even have time to drink water.

Grammar 3 / 4: ただ〜のみ

ただ＋N／V dictionary form＋のみ = only ~, just ~ (the written version of だけ); ただ＋N＋のみならず = not only ~. ただ 手紙てがみを 読よみたい、その 思おもいのみでした = All I had in my heart was the wish to read that letter.

• Form: ただ＋N／V dictionary form＋のみ: A noun goes directly before のみ. A verb uses the dictionary form: ただ 待まつのみだ. The sentence can end with のみだ or のみです. Formal slogans often end right at のみ.
• Meaning: only ~, just ~: Like だけ, it limits things. ただ in front stresses "nothing but this." It suits speeches, writing and showing determination.
• ただ〜のみならず = not only ~: You learned のみならず (not only ~) before. Adding ただ stresses it more: ただ 谷中やなかのみならず、東京とうきょう 全体ぜんたいの 問題もんだいだ.
• Use だけ when chatting: With friends, のみ sounds like reading an official notice. 「水みずだけ 飲のんだよ」 is more natural than 「水みずのみ」.

• ただ 手紙てがみを 読よみたい、その 思おもいのみでした。 — All I had in my heart was the wish to read that letter.
• 今いまは ただ 結果けっかを 待まつのみだ。 — All we can do now is wait for the result.
• 必要ひつようなのは ただ 勇気ゆうきのみ。 — All that is needed is courage.
• この 問題もんだいは ただ 谷中やなかのみならず、東京とうきょう 全体ぜんたいの 問題もんだいだ。 — This problem is not only Yanaka's, but the whole of Tokyo's.
• 署名しょめいは ただ 町まちの 人ひとからのみならず、観光客かんこうきゃくからも 集あつまった。 — The signatures came not only from people in town, but tourists signed too.

Grammar 4 / 4: にとどまらず

N／V dictionary form＋にとどまらず = not limited to ~ (it spreads to a wider range). 署名運動しょめいうんどうは 谷中やなかに とどまらず、全国ぜんこくに 広ひろがった = The signature campaign didn't stay in Yanaka. It spread nationwide.

• Form: N／V dictionary form＋にとどまらず: A noun goes directly before it: 谷中やなかに とどまらず. A verb uses the dictionary form: 守まもるに とどまらず.
• Meaning: not limited to ~: とどまる = to stay within a certain range. にとどまらず = not staying in that range, but spreading to a wider place, more people, or a deeper level.
• Difference from に限かぎらず: に限かぎらず means "not only ~; everyone of that kind too": 子こどもに 限かぎらず、だれでも 参加さんかできる. にとどまらず stresses "there was a range, and it went beyond it," and is often used with 広ひろがる and 〜も.
• Written, formal: Common in news, reports and speeches. When chatting, the だけで なく you already learned is more natural.

• 木きを 守まもるに とどまらず、町まちの 歴史れきしも 伝つたえたい。 — I don't only want to protect the tree. I also want to pass on the town's history.
• 署名運動しょめいうんどうは 谷中やなかに とどまらず、全国ぜんこくに 広ひろがった。 — The signature campaign didn't stay in Yanaka. It spread nationwide.
• ピヨの 絵えは 町内ちょうないに とどまらず、新聞しんぶんにも 出でた。 — Piyo's drawings didn't only spread around the neighborhood. They even appeared in the newspaper.
• 熊太くまたの アルバイト先さきは コンビニに とどまらず、お祭まつりの 店みせにも 広ひろがった。 — Kumata's part-time work isn't only at the convenience store. It has expanded to festival stalls.
• 先生せんせいは 自分じぶんの おやつを 食たべるに とどまらず、みんなの 分ぶんも 食たべて しまう。 — The teacher didn't stop at his own sweets. He even ate everyone else's share.