How to Compare with より in Japanese
より in Japanese is a particle for comparing things, referring to starting points or points in time and space, or a source of something. You can translate it from English to Japanese as than, more than, or rather. Let’s take a closer look.
INDEX
Comparing Things
The first usage of より is to compare two things with each other.
ジョンはリンゴよりオレンジが好き
John prefers oranges more than apples
飛行機は車より速い
Planes are faster than cars
When you are comparing things with より in Japanese often you will use the word ほう. So, that would be in the form AよりBのほう. We can take the first sentence and rewrite it:
ジョンはリンゴよりオレンジのほうが好き
John prefers oranges more than apples
A Reference Point in Space and Time
Next より also follows spacial and temporal terms to represent a point of reference. Here, より refers to the space or time starting at the reference point and beyond. If I say AよりB then it means everything starting at A into the area marked by B. Here are some examples:
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/埼玉県は東京より北にある
Saitama is north of Tokyo
午前10時より前に出発する
I am departing before 10:00 am
Let’s say that we removed 前に from the last sentence. In this case より does not have anything to compare 10時 to so the express means starting at 10 instead of before.
午前10時より出発する
I am departing at 10:00 am
The Source of Something
Finally, より can refer to a source of something. For example, a source as in a person you receive something from:
先生より届いた手紙
the letter from my teacher