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The comparative in Japanese

At a glance

  • Superiority: A は B より adjective (A is more… than B)
  • Emphasis: A の方が adjective (A rather, on A’s side)
  • Equality: A は B と同じくらい adjective
  • Inferiority: A は B ほど adjective + negative form
  • Note: no direct form for “less than”, the adjective is reversed

Japanese does not have a dedicated comparative ending, unlike French (“plus grand”) or English (“bigger”). Comparison is expressed through precise grammatical structures that relate two elements, with different nuances depending on the particle or expression chosen.

The comparative of superiority with より (yori)

より (yori) remains the most common structure for expressing “more… than”. It indicates that the element placed before より possesses the quality in greater quantity than the element placed after.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Aipaddo wa aifon yori ookii desu. The iPad is bigger than the iPhone.
Tanaka-san wa Watanabe-san yori se ga takai. Tanaka is taller than Watanabe.

The structure follows the pattern A は B より [adjective] です, where A is the superior element and B is the term of comparison. より can also combine with an interrogative word and も to form an implicit superlative: 誰よりも早くできます (dare yori mo hayaku dekimasu), “I can do it faster than anyone”.

Emphasizing with の方が (no hou ga)

の方が (no hou ga) expresses the same idea of superiority, but emphasizes the highlighted element more, somewhat like “it’s more X that…” or “on X’s side”. This structure is used alone or in complement to より.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Gohan no hou ga oishii. The rice is better.
Gohan no hou ga, pan yori oishii. The rice is more delicious than bread.
Kono resutoran no hou ga asoko yori oishii desu. This restaurant is more delicious than that one over there.

より and の方が can be used interchangeably in most sentences without changing the general meaning, but の方が emphasizes the comparative nature of the statement more.

Comparing verbs and actions

Comparing two actions follows the same logic as between two nouns, provided the verb is nominalized using の.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Hashiru no wa aruku no yori tanoshii. It’s more fun to run than to walk.
Benkyou suru yori asobu hou ga tanoshii. Playing is more fun than studying.
Taberu yori nomu hou ga suki desu. I like drinking more than eating.

With より, the verb placed just before keeps a neutral present form even if the overall context is in the past, unlike the verb placed before 方 which can be conjugated normally according to the intended meaning.

The absence of a direct comparative of inferiority

Japanese does not have a direct equivalent to “less… than” with より. To express inferiority, two solutions exist: reverse the meaning of the adjective, or use ほど with a negative form (see below).

Japanese Romaji Translation
Kono kutsu wa kono sandaru yori kitanai. This shoe is dirtier than this sandal (= less clean).
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Rather than trying to say “less clean”, Japanese reformulates with the antonym “dirty”, a mental shift to integrate from the very beginning of learning comparatives.

The comparative of equality with と同じくらい

と同じくらい (to onaji kurai, sometimes gurai) expresses that a quality or quantity is equivalent between two elements, similar to “as… as” or “about as much as”.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Watashi wa ani to onaji kurai se ga takai. I am about as tall as my brother.
Anata to onaji kazu no kyoudai ga imasu. I have as many siblings as you.

The comparative of inferiority with ほど

ほど (hodo) indicates a degree, often translated as “to the point of”. Used with a negative form, it expresses direct inferiority, similar to “not as… as”.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Kare wa kare hodo yasai wo tabemasen. He eats fewer vegetables than him.
A wa B hodo takakunai desu. A is cheaper than B.
Kare no nihongo no reberu wa watashi hodo takakunai. His Japanese level is not as high as mine.

The general structure is A は B ほど [adjective in negative form]. For a na-adjective, remove な before adding the negation: きれいではない (kirei de wa nai), “not pretty”.

Comparing with に比べて (ni kurabete)

に比べて (ni kurabete) is built from the verb 比べる (kuraberu, “to compare”) and translates as “compared to” or “in relation to”. It accepts several variants: に比べると (ni kuraberu to), に比べれば (ni kurabereba).

Japanese Romaji Translation
Inaka wa tokai ni kurabete shizuka da. The countryside is calmer compared to the city.
Furansugo ni kuraberu to, eigo no hou ga kantan da to omou. Compared to French, I think English is easier.

Expressing resemblance with ように and ような

ように (you ni) and ような (you na) establish a comparison of appearance or manner, translated as “like”. ように is placed before a verb or an adjective, while ような is placed before a noun.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Chiitaa no you ni hayai. Fast like a cheetah.
Puro no you ni nihongo wo hanashitai. I want to speak Japanese like a professional.
Tori no you na koe. A voice like that of a bird.

When the word preceding ように is a verb rather than a noun, the particle の generally disappears, as the verb is already directly linked to its result. Casual speech sometimes replaces ように/ような with みたいに/みたいな, more common in spoken language.

Nuances of surprise: にしては and わりに

にしては (ni shite wa) and わりに (wari ni) express that an element has a surprising characteristic or one different from what its usual situation would suggest, similar to “for a…” in English.

Japanese Romaji Translation
Gakusei ni shite wa wakasuginai? Isn’t he too young to be a student?

わりに covers a broader range of application than にしては, but にしては remains mandatory in a situation where the facts are truly unknown, for example in reaction to a question whose answer one is not sure of.

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To structure these different comparative forms in a complete grammatical progression, alongside -i and -na adjectives, a Japanese course allows you to approach these concepts step by step with exercises adapted to each level.

Practical exercise

Test your understanding of the different comparative structures covered in this article.

Question 1: How do you say “the iPad is bigger than the iPhone”?




より (yori) expresses superiority, “more… than”, in the structure A は B より adjective.

Question 2: What nuance does の方が bring compared to より?




の方が (no hou ga) expresses the same superiority as より but emphasizes the comparative nature more, like “it’s more X that…”.

Question 3: How does Japanese generally express “less clean”?




より does not have a direct form for “less than”; Japanese reverses the adjective’s meaning (dirty rather than less clean).

Question 4: Which structure expresses equality between two elements?




と同じくらい (to onaji kurai) expresses that a quality or quantity is equivalent between two elements.

Question 5: Which structure expresses direct inferiority, similar to “not as… as”?




ほど (hodo) used with a negative form expresses inferiority, as in B hodo takakunai desu, “cheaper than B”.

Question 6: What does に比べて (ni kurabete) mean?




に比べて (ni kurabete), built on the verb 比べる (to compare), translates as “compared to” or “in relation to”.

Question 7: Before what type of word is ような placed rather than ように?




ような (you na) is placed before a noun, as in 鳥のような声 (“a voice like that of a bird”), while ように precedes a verb or an adjective.

Question 8: In which situation is にしては mandatory rather than わりに?




にしては becomes mandatory when the speaker doesn’t know what is really happening, for example when reacting to a question with a conjecture.


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