How to tell them apart
The core contrast is structural: ほうが marks the preferred or more prominent item in a comparison, while より marks the baseline it is measured against. In a sentence like このカメラのほうがあのカメラより好きです, ほうが picks the winner and より picks the loser. Swapping them is unnatural because より alone cannot carry the "this one is better" role, and ほうが alone cannot introduce the standard of comparison. A second use of より, seen in これより方法はない, means "other than" and has no ほうが counterpart.
- より Use より to mark the item or action that serves as the baseline in a comparison.
- ほうがより Use ほうが to mark the item or option that comes out ahead in the comparison.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| より yori | Marks a comparison, meaning 'than' or 'more than' something | N5 |
| ほうがより hougayori | Used to say one thing has more of a quality than another | N5 |
より yori
Marks a comparison, meaning 'than' or 'more than' something
より marks the standard of comparison, meaning 'than'. It follows a noun, as in トニーより, and can also combine with も (よりも) for emphasis. The compared item carries an adjective or other predicate expressing the greater degree.
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名前はリンダで、トニーより１つ年下でした。
Her name was Linda, and she was a year younger than Tony.
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湾にはセーリングボートよりヨットがたくさんある。
The bay has more yachts than sailboats.
ほうがより hougayori
Used to say one thing has more of a quality than another
ほうがより marks a comparison between two things, saying the one before ほうが has more of a quality than the one before より. Attach ほうが to a noun and より to the other noun, then follow with an adjective or verb. It is a neutral pattern used in both casual and polite speech.
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私のほうが、トムよりずっとうまくフランス語が話せる。
I speak French much better than Tom does.
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このコンピューターのほうがあれより優れている。
This computer is superior to that one.
より and ほうがより are both JLPT N5 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.