〜一方だ ippou da

〜一方だ（ippou da）means “keep on ...-ing; ... more and more”. Attached to the dictionary form of a verb to express that a situation keeps moving in one direction only, growing steadily and usually toward a worse (or one-sided) state. Formation: V-る + 一方だ ／ Nの + 一方だ

keep on ...-ing; ... more and more

N3

Formation

V-る + 一方だ ／ Nの + 一方だ

Explanation

Attached to the dictionary form of a verb to express that a situation keeps moving in one direction only, growing steadily and usually toward a worse (or one-sided) state. Common with verbs of change: 増える, 減る, 悪くなる.

Examples

この町の人口はへっていく一方だ。
このまちのじんこうはへっていくいっぽうだ。
The population of this town just keeps decreasing.
なやみごとがふえて、ストレスはたまる一方だ。
なやみごとがふえて、ストレスはたまるいっぽうだ。
My worries keep growing and the stress just keeps piling up.

Note

Strongly tends toward negative developments. The verb must be one that describes continuous change, not a one-time action.

FAQ

〜一方だ — what does it mean and how is it used?

keep on ...-ing; ... more and more. Attached to the dictionary form of a verb to express that a situation keeps moving in one direction only, growing steadily and usually toward a worse (or one-sided) state. Common with verbs of change: 増える, 減る, 悪くなる.

〜一方だ — how do you form it?

V-る + 一方だ ／ Nの + 一方だ

〜一方だ — any usage notes?

Strongly tends toward negative developments. The verb must be one that describes continuous change, not a one-time action.

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