Posted inN2 Grammar

Mastering より: The Versatile Japanese Particle for Comparisons and More (JLPT N2)

Posted inN2 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“than,” “from,” “more than.”

🎯 Primary Function

Primarily used to indicate a basis for comparison (“than”), but also functions to denote a starting point or source (“from”) in more formal contexts.

📋 Grammar Structure

Noun + より (for comparison: Noun A より Noun B の方が… / Noun A より [adjective/adverb]…) Noun + より (for starting point/source: Noun + より)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Often seen in formal writing, speeches, and official documents to indicate origin or a higher degree of something.

😊 Informal Situations

Less common for origin in casual speech, but still used in comparisons.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently used in written Japanese for both comparison and indicating a source/basis.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Common for comparisons, but から is more common for “from” in everyday speech.

💡 Common Applications

Comparison (“than”)
Used to compare two or more items, indicating that one possesses a certain quality to a greater degree than the other.
Example: 東京は大阪より人が多いです。(Tokyo has more people than Osaka.)
Starting Point/Source (“from”)
Indicates the origin of an action, message, or a temporal starting point. More formal than から.
Example: 本日より営業を開始いたします。(We will start business from today.)
Emphasis/Exceeding a Standard (“more than,” “beyond”)
Used to express that something is beyond or exceeds a certain level, often with numerical values or concepts.
Example: 予想より良い結果が出た。(A better result than expected came out.)
📊
Frequency
High, especially for comparisons.
🎚️
Difficulty
Intermediate (N2-level nuances, while basic uses are N5/N4).
Example Sentences
このスマートフォンは前のモデルより軽いです。
This smartphone is lighter than the previous model.
彼は私より日本語が上手です。
He is better at Japanese than I am.
この仕事は思ったより大変だ。
This job is harder than I thought.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Comparison with 「〜の方が」
When comparing, より is often followed by 「〜の方が」 to explicitly state which item possesses the quality more.
Example: 犬は猫より賢い方が多いです。(More dogs are smarter than cats.)
Formal “From”
For origin, より is generally more formal and written than から.
Example: 本日より営業を開始いたします。(We will start business from today.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Confusing with から for casual origin
✅ Use から for simple “from” in casual speech (e.g., “家から来た”).
より for origin is usually reserved for more formal or administrative contexts.
❌ Omitting 「の方が」 in comparisons
✅ While sometimes implied, explicitly stating 「の方が」 makes the comparison clearer and more natural.
「AはBより良い」 is correct, but 「AはBより良い方が多い」 or 「Aの方がBより良い」 is often more common and explicit when specifying the item with the higher quality.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Generally neutral to slightly formal depending on context. Its use for origin tends to elevate the politeness.
Social Situations: Appropriate in most situations, but choose から for casual “from”.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in its core meaning.

🔍 Subtle Differences

より vs. から (Origin)
より indicates origin in a more formal or administrative context (e.g., “from this date,” “from the company”). から is more general and used for physical origin, material, or cause (e.g., “from Tokyo,” “made from wood,” “because of X”).
When to use: Use より for formal/administrative “from”; use から for general/casual “from” and for material/cause.
より vs. 〜よりも (Comparison)
Functionally very similar. 〜よりも adds a slight emphasis or softness, sometimes making the comparison sound a bit more direct or slightly more emphatic than plain より.
When to use: Both are often interchangeable for comparison. 〜よりも can be used for slight emphasis or a softer tone.
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When to use: undefined

📝 Conjugation Notes

より is a particle, so it does not conjugate. It directly follows a noun or noun phrase.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced “yori,” with standard Japanese intonation.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of “より” as “YO! RIght, this one is MORE than that one!” for comparison, and “YO! RIght, this starts FROM here!” for origin. (A bit silly, but helps to link the meanings).

Vocabulary List
東京
Tōkyō
Tokyo
大阪
Ōsaka
Osaka
人
hito
person, people
多い
ōi
many, numerous
スマートフォン
sumātofon
smartphone
前
mae
previous, before
モデル
model
Kanji List
東
higashi
east
京
kyō
capital
大
ō
big
阪
saka
slope
人
hito
person
多
ō
many
前
mae
before, front
軽
karu
light
彼
kare
he
私
watashi
I
日
ni, hi
day, sun
Practice Exercises
この映画は期待（　　）面白かった。
から
に
より
と
健康（　　）大切なものはありません。
から
より
で
に
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