Comparing things is something we do all the time — whether we’re talking about food, weather, or preferences. In Japanese, there are a few simple but powerful structures you can use to express comparisons. In this post, we’ll break down three essential comparison expressions: ～より (yori), ～のほうが (no hoo ga), and ～ほど (hodo). Let’s dive in!

1. ～より: “More than”

～より is used to show what something is being compared against.

✅ Structure:
A は B より + adjective

This means “A is more ___ than B.”

🔸 Example:

• 東京とうきょうは大阪おおさかより大おおきいです。 → Tokyo is bigger than Osaka.
• このりんごはそのりんごよりあまいです。 → This apple is sweeter than that apple.

2. ～のほうが: “More”

～のほうが puts emphasis on the thing that has the stronger quality.

✅ Structure:
A のほうが B より + adjective

This is essentially the same as the above structure, but it puts more focus on A.

🔸 Example:

• 東京とうきょうのほうが大阪おおさかより大おおきいです。
  → Tokyo is bigger than Osaka (with more emphasis on Tokyo).
• 日本にほんのほうがアメリカより安全あんぜんです。
  → Japan is safer than America.

Note: You can also just say A のほうが + adjective when the comparison is already clear.

• サッカーのほうが好すきです。
  → I prefer soccer. (Implied: more than something else, like baseball.)

3. ～ほど: “Not as… as” (Negative Comparison)

～ほど is used in negative sentences to say “not as ___ as ___.”

✅ Structure:
A は B ほど + negative form of adjective

This means “A is not as ___ as B.”

🔸 Example:

• 東京とうきょうは大阪おおさかほど暑あつくないです。
  → Tokyo is not as hot as Osaka.
• このテストは前まえのテストほど難むずかしくなかったです。
  → This test wasn’t as hard as the last one.

📝 Comparison Chart

Expression	Meaning	Example	Translation
A は B より～	A is more ___ than B	パンはごはんよりやすい	Bread is cheaper than rice
A のほうが B より～	A is more ___ than B (emphasizing A)	犬いぬのほうが猫ねこよりかわいい	Dogs are cuter than cats
A は B ほど～ない	A is not as ___ as B	英語えいごは日本語にほんごほど難むずかしくない	English is not as hard as Japanese

🎯 Practice Time!

Try making your own comparison sentences using the following prompts:

1. Compare two cities you know.
   → (＿＿＿＿は＿＿＿＿よりにぎやかです。)
2. Compare two foods you like.
   → (＿＿＿＿のほうが＿＿＿＿よりおいしいです。)
3. Make a negative comparison about food.
   → (＿＿＿＿は＿＿＿＿ほどおいしくないです。)

💡 Quick Tips

• You can use どちらのほうが to ask “Which one is better?”
  • どちらのほうが安やすいですか？ → Which one is cheaper?
• For casual speech, you can drop the です at the end:
  • 東京とうきょうのほうが暑あついよ。
• When comparing more than two things, use いちばん (the most):
  • この中なかで、りんごがいちばん好すきです。 → Among these, I like apples the most.

📌 Summary

Grammar	Use
～より	To say something is more ___ than something else
～のほうが	To emphasize the thing that is more ___
～ほど～ない	To say something is not as ___ as something else

Let’s keep practicing comparing things in Japanese! The more you use these patterns, the more natural they’ll feel.

Which do you like better: summer or winter? Try saying it in Japanese using what you learned today!

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