let alone; not to mention

はおろか means that not just the obvious thing but even a more basic one is the case, usually negatively. Attach it to a noun, often paired with も or さえ in the second clause. It emphasizes the extent by ruling out even the lesser case.

Examples

• 漢字かんじはおろか、ひらがなも書かけなかった。

  Kanji wa oroka, hiragana mo kakenakatta.

  Let alone kanji, he couldn't even write hiragana.

• 海外かいがいはおろか、国内旅行こくないりょこうさえしたことがない。

  Kaigai wa oroka, kokunai ryokou sae shita koto ga nai.

  Not to mention abroad, I've never even traveled domestically.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 漢字 kanji; Chinese character
• ひらがな hiragana
• する to do

Related patterns · Concession and contrast

• 〜といえども even though; although
• 〜ものを if only; and yet (regret/reproach)
• 〜にひきかえ in contrast to; unlike
• 〜にもまして more than; even more than