What is より?
より is a particle used for comparisons, meaning "than" or "compared to." It marks the standard of comparison when stating that something is more/less than something else.
A は B より 大きい
"A is bigger than B"
私より背が高い
"Taller than me"
昨日より暑い
"Hotter than yesterday"
Basic Structure
A は B より [adjective/verb]
東京は大阪より大きい
"Tokyo is bigger than Osaka"
B = standard (より)
A = subject being compared (は)
Core pattern
[Thing compared] は [Standard] より [Quality]
兄は私より速い
"My older brother is faster than me"
Standard of comparison
Usage and Meaning
Comparing two things
りんごはみかんより高い
"Apples are more expensive than oranges"
今日は昨日より寒い
"Today is colder than yesterday"
Direct comparison
With verbs
歩くより走るほうが速い
"Running is faster than walking"
見るよりやるほうがいい
"Doing is better than watching"
Comparing actions
With quantity
100円より安い
"Cheaper than 100 yen"
3時間より長い
"Longer than 3 hours"
Comparing amounts
Position of より
After the standard
私より上手
"Better than me"
東京より遠い
"Farther than Tokyo"
より follows what you're comparing to
Can start sentence
より速く走れるようになった
"I became able to run faster (than before)"
Comparison implied
Polite and Casual
Works in both
Casual: 昨日より暑いね
"It's hotter than yesterday"
Polite: 昨日より暑いです
"It's hotter than yesterday"
Adjust verb ending
Common Patterns
A より B (B is preferred)
肉より魚が好き
"I like fish more than meat"
コーヒーより紅茶
"Tea rather than coffee"
Preference expressed
より + quantity words
10人より多い
"More than 10 people"
3回より少ない
"Fewer than 3 times"
Numerical comparisons
より早く/遅く (time)
いつもより早く起きた
"I woke up earlier than usual"
予定より遅くなった
"It became later than planned"
Time comparisons
With のほうが (emphasis)
より...のほうが pattern
夏より冬のほうが好き
"I like winter more than summer"
AよりBのほうが = B is more
Double comparison markers
Common in conversation
Negative Comparisons
With negative adjectives
思ったより悪くない
"Not as bad as I thought"
期待より良くなかった
"Wasn't as good as expected"
Expectations vs reality
より + も (even more)
Emphasis pattern
昨日よりも寒い
"Even colder than yesterday"
前よりもっと上手
"Even better than before"
も adds emphasis
Common Contexts
Comparisons with people
彼は私より若い
"He's younger than me"
姉より背が高い
"Taller than my older sister"
Personal comparisons
Comparisons with time
去年より暖かい
"Warmer than last year"
以前より楽になった
"It became easier than before"
Temporal comparisons
Comparisons with places
日本よりアメリカのほうが広い
"America is bigger than Japan"
都会より田舎が好き
"I like the countryside more than the city"
Location comparisons
より vs のほうが
より alone (simple comparison)
AよりB
"B (compared to A)"
Simple, direct
Standard marker
のほうが (emphatic)
AよりBのほうが
"B is more (than A)"
Emphasizes the preferred
More complete statement
Example comparison
Simple: コーヒーより紅茶
"Tea rather than coffee"
Complete: コーヒーより紅茶のほうが好き
"I like tea more than coffee"
Different emphasis levels
Expressing "More than expected"
思ったより
思ったより難しい
"More difficult than I thought"
思ったより簡単だった
"Was easier than I thought"
Common expression
予想より
予想より多い
"More than expected"
予想より早く終わった
"Finished earlier than expected"
Expectations
より as "Rather than"
Preference meaning
家にいるより外に出たい
"I want to go out rather than stay home"
寝るより勉強する
"Study rather than sleep"
Choice between options
より with numbers
More/less than amounts
1000円より高い
"More expensive than 1000 yen"
5キロより重い
"Heavier than 5 kilos"
50%より多い
"More than 50%"
Quantitative comparisons
Multiple Comparisons
Comparing several things
AよりB、BよりC
"B more than A, C more than B"
春より夏、夏より秋が好き
"I like summer more than spring, fall more than summer"
Ranking preferences
より in formal writing
Written style
昨年より増加した
"Increased compared to last year"
前回より改善された
"Improved compared to last time"
Formal, objective tone
Common Mistakes
Wrong particle order
Wrong: 私は兄より速い ⚠️
(Means: I am faster than my brother)
If you mean: 兄は私より速い ✓
"My brother is faster than me"
Check who is faster
Forgetting より
Incomplete: 東京、大阪大きい ⚠️
Correct: 東京は大阪より大きい ✓
"Tokyo is bigger than Osaka"
より is required
Double particles confusion
Wrong: よりが ⚠️
Correct: より ✓
Or: のほうが ✓
Don't combine directly
より + いい/悪い
Better/worse than
これよりいい
"Better than this"
前より悪くなった
"Got worse than before"
Common evaluation
Superlatives vs Comparisons
より = comparative (2 things)
AよりB
"B more than A"
Two items only
一番 = superlative (among all)
一番好き
"Like most (of all)"
Among multiple items
Practice Sentences
Basic
今日は昨日より寒い
"Today is colder than yesterday"
私より背が高い
"Taller than me"
これよりあれがいい
"That one is better than this"
Intermediate
思ったより時間がかかった
"It took more time than I thought"
日本語は英語より難しいと思う
"I think Japanese is more difficult than English"
去年より成績が上がった
"My grades improved compared to last year"
Advanced
予想より多くの人が参加してくれて、
イベントは大成功だった。前回より
もっと準備をしたかいがあった。
来年はさらによいものにしたい。
"More people participated than expected, and
the event was a great success. The extra preparation
compared to last time was worth it.
I want to make it even better next year."
現代の生活は50年前よりずっと便利に
なったが、その反面、人々のストレスは
以前よりも増えているように感じる。
技術の進歩が必ずしも幸福の増加に
つながるとは限らない。
"Modern life has become much more convenient than 50 years ago,
but on the other hand, people's stress seems to have
increased compared to before.
Technological progress doesn't necessarily
lead to increased happiness."
Related Grammar Points
- のほうが - More than (emphatic)
- 一番 - Most (superlative)
- ほど - As...as (extent)
- くらい/ぐらい - About (approximate degree)
- Comparative adjectives - More/less forms
- 同じ - Same (equality comparison)