The more, the more
The idea is that two things rise or fall together. As one increases, the other changes with it. Japanese expresses this by repeating the first word, once in the conditional and once plain, and marking the second with hodo, meaning extent.
It sounds natural rather than bookish, and it is one of the most satisfying patterns to use in conversation about habits and learning.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 練習すればするほど、上手になります。 | Renshū sureba suru hodo, jōzu ni narimasu. | The more you practise, the better you get. |
| 考えれば考えるほど、わからなくなる。 | Kangaereba kangaeru hodo, wakaranaku naru. | The more I think about it, the less I understand. |
Building the pattern
The first half uses the conditional form of the word; the second half repeats the same word in its plain form, followed by hodo.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べれば食べるほど | tabereba taberu hodo | The more you eat |
| 高ければ高いほど | takakereba takai hodo | The more expensive it is |
| 静かなら静かなほど | shizuka nara shizuka na hodo | The quieter it is |
| 行けば行くほど | ikeba iku hodo | The more often you go |
| Word type | First half | Second half |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | Conditional ba form | Same verb in dictionary form, plus hodo |
| i-adjective | Drop i, add kereba | Same adjective, plus hodo |
| na-adjective | Word plus nara | Same word plus na hodo |
What the second half needs
Because the pattern describes things changing together, the result must also be something that can grow or shrink: becoming better, getting harder, taking longer, liking more. A single event that simply happens does not fit.
Naru, the verb for becoming, is so common in the result clause that it is worth pairing with the pattern from the start.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日本語は勉強すればするほど面白くなる。 | Nihongo wa benkyō sureba suru hodo omoshiroku naru. | The more you study Japanese, the more interesting it gets. |
| 人が多ければ多いほど、時間がかかります。 | Hito ga ōkereba ōi hodo, jikan ga kakarimasu. | The more people there are, the longer it takes. |
| 聞けば聞くほど、耳が慣れてきます。 | Kikeba kiku hodo, mimi ga narete kimasu. | The more you listen, the more your ear gets used to it. |
Set phrases worth stealing
A few versions of the pattern are so common that they work as fixed expressions. They are useful in scheduling, shopping and everyday opinions.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 早ければ早いほどいいです。 | Hayakereba hayai hodo ii desu. | The sooner the better. |
| 多ければ多いほどいい。 | Ōkereba ōi hodo ii. | The more the better. |
| 知れば知るほど好きになる。 | Shireba shiru hodo suki ni naru. | The more I learn about it, the more I like it. |
| 見れば見るほど似ていますね。 | Mireba miru hodo nite imasu ne. | The more I look, the more alike they seem. |
Hodo on its own
You can drop the ba half and keep just the dictionary form plus hodo. The meaning stays the same, and the sentence feels a little tighter, which is why this version is common in writing and in thoughtful speech.
Hodo also has a separate degree meaning, to the point that, which you will hear in exaggerations. The negative comparison with hodo, as in not as much as, is covered in the guide to comparisons.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 年を取るほど、時間が早く感じる。 | Toshi o toru hodo, jikan ga hayaku kanjiru. | The older you get, the faster time feels. |
| 練習するほど、自信がつきます。 | Renshū suru hodo, jishin ga tsukimasu. | The more you practise, the more confident you become. |
| 泣きたいほど疲れた。 | Nakitai hodo tsukareta. | I am so tired I could cry. |
Mistakes that break the pattern
Ba hodo is regular, so errors usually come from rushing the forms in real time. These are the ones to watch for.
- Using two different words in the two halves.
- Misforming irregular conditionals: sureba suru hodo and kureba kuru hodo.
- Forgetting kereba for i-adjectives: takakereba, not takai nara, in this pattern.
- Ending with a single one-off event instead of a change.
- Dropping hodo, which leaves an incomplete conditional.