Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
どころか emphasizes that the expected baseline is not even met, so the second clause is a lesser or more basic thing that still fails to happen (本を読むどころか、新聞も読まない). ばかりか adds something beyond the expected, so the second clause is an additional, often more surprising fact layered on top of the first. Swapping them flips the direction: どころか says the bar is too high, while ばかりか says the bar is cleared and then some.
- どころか Use どころか when the first item is not even achieved and the second is a more basic thing that also fails.
- ばかりか（さえ） Use ばかりか（さえ） when the first item is already true and the second adds an additional, often unexpected fact.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| どころか dokoroka | Far from/Let alone | N3 |
| ばかりか（さえ） bakarika sae | Not only ~ but also | N3 |
どころか dokoroka
Far from/Let alone
Far from; not just; even | A conjunction indicating that someone/something is very far from an expected state.
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あの人は本を読むどころか、新聞も読まない。
He is far from reading books; he doesn't even read newspapers.
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ジムは日本語の会話が出来ないどころか、簡単なあいさつも出来ない。
Jim is not just unable to converse in Japanese; he cannot even make simple greetings.
ばかりか（さえ） bakarika sae
Not only ~ but also
Not only ~ but also | A compound particle/conjunction which is used to connect two nouns or two sentences, the first of which is something normally expected and the second of which is something normally unexpected.
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あの人は絵を見て楽しむばかりか、自分でも絵を描く。
He not only enjoys looking at pictures; he also draws them.
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アメリカでは大学生ばかりか、中学生、高校生さえ日本語を勉強している。
In America not only college students but even junior and senior high school students are studying Japanese.
どころか and ばかりか（さえ） are both JLPT N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.