ほど

About

ほど (程ほど in kanji) means "degree" or "extent", and can be used in place of くらい・ぐらい to make more polite/literary approximations.

E.g. 30分さんじゅっぷんほどで出来上できあがります。 "They'll be ready in about 30 minutes."

ほど can be used to create "So X that Y" statements. ほど attaches to "Y" to express the extent of an action/feeling. For this usage, ほど can follow verbs, nouns, い-adjectives, and な-adjectives (these use な to attach).

E.g. マイクの話はなしで、涙なみだが出でるほど笑わらった。 "Mike's story made me laugh so hard that I cried."

ほど's "So X that Y" usage is often (but not always) used for hyperbolic statements (e.g. "I'm so hungry I could die.").

E.g. 死しぬほどお腹なかがすいた。 "I'm so hungry I'm going to die."

Summary

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  ほど means "degree" or "extent"

• 

  ほど can be used in place of くらい・ぐらい to make more polite/literary approximations

• 

  ほど can be used to create "So X that Y" statements, that express the extent of an action/feeling