どれほど

どれほど
adverb
how much; to what extent; how far
1. how much; to what extent; how far
An interrogative or exclamatory adverb asking about the degree or extent of something. Can also be used rhetorically to emphasize a great degree.
どれほど()てばいいのか。
How long do I have to wait?
どれほど大変(たいへん)だったか想像(そうぞう)できる。
I can imagine how hard it was.
彼女(かのじょ)がどれほど努力(どりょく)してきたか、(まわ)りの(ひと)はよく()っている。
The people around her know well how much effort she has put in.

Composed of どれ (which/what) and ほど (degree/extent). Used both in genuine questions ('How much...?') and in rhetorical/emphatic statements to convey that something is to an impressive or significant degree. Slightly more literary than どのくらい.

USAGE PATTERNS:

  • どれほど〜か: how much ~ (embedded question)
  • どれほど〜ても: no matter how much ~
  • どれほど〜ことか: how ~ it is! (exclamatory)

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • どれほど(うれ)しかったことか: how happy I was!
  • どれほどの価値(かち)があるか: how much value it has
  • どれほど時間(じかん)がかかるか: how long it takes

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • どのくらい: how much / how long — the most common everyday equivalent
  • いかほど: how much — more formal and literary
  • どれだけ: how much — similar meaning, slightly more casual than どれほど