Let’s be honest, we all love making comparisons, right?

“That anime was more exciting than the last!” or “My onigiri is bigger than yours!”. 

Of course, no need to compare yourself, but when it comes to food, travel spots, or anime characters, Japanese people compare things all the time too.

And the magic word that makes all these comparisons possible is より (yori).

It’s everywhere in daily life, and once you get used to it, you’ll be saying things like “dogs are cuter than cats” or “today is colder than yesterday” in no time.

Ready? Let’s jump in and master より together!

もっと (motto) → means “more” in a general sense. Used in a general sense of “more,” often when requesting or suggesting.

もっとゆっくり話してくれますか。
もっとゆっくりはなしてくれますか。
motto yukkuri hanashite kuremasu ka
Will you please speak more slowly?

💡 Tips:

→ In Japanese, the thing being compared to (the baseline) comes right before より (yori).

 → For Pattern 2 (より + Adjective / Adverb), you can often replace より (yori) with もっと (motto) in daily conversation.

Example: よりていねいに (yori teinei ni) → もっとていねいに (motto teinei ni)

Both sound natural, but より (yori) is a bit more formal, while もっと (motto) feels more casual.

昨日より 今日は あついね。
きのうよりきょうはあついね。
kinou yori kyou ha atsui ne
Today is hotter than yesterday.
You can also say:
今日は 昨日より あついね。
きょうはきのうよりあついね。
kyu ha kinou yori atsui ne
Today is hotter than yesterday.

ケアレスミスが つづいていますね。よりていねいに仕事を すすめましょう。
けあれすみすがつづいていますね。よりていねいにしごとをすすめましょう。
kearesu misu ga tsuzuite imasu ne. yori teinei ni shigoto o susumemashou
We’ve been making careless mistakes. Let’s proceed more carefully.

あの本よりこの本はおもしろいです。
あのほんよりこのほんはおもしろいです。
ano hon yori kono hon ha omoshiroi desu
This book is more interesting than that one.

たまごサンドよりツナおにぎりが すきです。
たまごさんどよりつなおにぎりがすきです。
tamago sando yori tsuna onigiri ga suki desu
I like tuna rice balls more than egg sandwiches.

英語より日本語はアルファベットが多いです。
えいごよりにほんごはあるふぁべっとがおおいです。
eigo yori Nihongo ha arufabetto ga ooi desu
Japanese has more characters than English.

スマホで勉強するより、ノートに書いた方が おぼえやすいです。
すまほでべんきょうするより、のーとにかいたほうがおぼえやすいです。
sumaho de benkyou suru yori, nooto ni kaita hou ga oboe yasui desu
It’s easier to remember when writing in a notebook than studying on a smartphone.

• Grammar Point: より (yori)
• JLPT Level: N4
• Meaning: Than, rather than, more than
• Quick Explanation: より (yori) is a particle used to mark the starting point or the standard of comparison.
  It shows that one thing is compared to another in terms of degree, quality, or preference.
  

So that’s how we use より (yori) in Japanese!

It’s an essential word for making comparisons, whether you’re talking about timelines, preferences, or anything in between.

From today, try using より in your own sentences! You’ll see how handy it is. 

Your Sensei,

Hikari 👩🏻‍🏫

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