〜ほど (hodo) is similar to 〜くらい/ぐらい, indicating extent or degree. It's frequently used in negative sentences to express that something is "not as ~ as" expected or implied. It connects to verbs, adjectives, and nouns. Example: 昨日のテストは思ったほど難しくなかった。(Yesterday's test was not as difficult as I thought.)

程度を表す。また、否定形で「〜ほどではない」のように比較にも使います。例：思ったほど寒くない。