Sale Lifetime access for $30 $60 from 1 November · Every level, N5 to N1 Get it
New N2 mock tests · Full exams from past papers, timed like the real exam Take one

というより(は) (toiuyori ha)

not so much ~ as; more accurately described as something else

Meaning & usage

というより(は) reframes a first description as inaccurate and offers a better one, meaning not so much X as Y. It follows nouns and the plain form of verbs and adjectives, as in 学生というより or 疲れたというより, and the second description often pairs with むしろ for emphasis. The は adds contrast but does not change the core meaning, and という stays in hiragana because it functions as part of a fixed expression.

Example sentences 4

Sale

Practice JLPT membership

Every mock test, practice test and reading passage, N5 to N1, and unlimited voice lessons.

$5 a month, or $30 once for lifetime$60 from 1 November

See membership

New

JLPT mock tests

Full exams from past papers, section by section on the real exam clock, with the original listening audio. Mock test 1 is free at every level.