どころか

どころか is used to express to the listener that the result was almost the exact opposite from what you would actually expect, e.g. Far from being angry about his son’s decision, the father was overjoyed. It attaches to the dictionary form of nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

彼かれは明らかに悪わるいことをしたのに、謝あやまるどころか他ほかの人ひとのせいにしたんだよ。

Although he’d clearly done wrong, far from apologising he blamed it on someone else.

電話でんわどころか、メールも送おくってくれなかった。

Never mind a telephone call, she didn’t even send an email.

今いまは、車くるまどころか、自転車じてんしゃでも買かうお金かねがない。

At the moment I don’t even have money to buy a bicycle let alone a car.

警察けいさつに追おいかけられて減速げんそくするどころか、加速かそくして逃にげた。

He was being chased by police but instead of slowing down he accelerated away.

彼かれは漢字かんじどころか、ひらがなでも読よめない。

He can’t even read hiragana, let alone kanji.