～というより— Rather Than, More Like

• 彼は優しいというより、ただ気が弱いだけだ。

  Kare wa yasashii to iu yori, tada ki ga yowai dake da.

  Rather than kind, he's just spineless.

  というより rejects '優しい' and offers the more accurate '気が弱い'.

• これは趣味というより仕事に近い。

  Kore wa shumi to iu yori shigoto ni chikai.

  This is more like work than a hobby.

  というより contrasts the two nouns, favoring the second as more fitting.

• 今日は寒いというより、むしろ涼しくて気持ちいい。

  Kyou wa samui to iu yori, mushiro suzushikute kimochi ii.

  Rather than cold, today is pleasantly cool.

  というより pairs with むしろ to emphasize the corrected description.

• ・Often followed by むしろ ('rather') to strengthen the correction.
• ・Both sides are usually similar in meaning; the speaker picks the more precise one.
• ・Register: neutral, common in conversation and writing.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～というより is tested against.

• ～くらい／～ぐらい — To That Extent
• ～にしては — Contrary to Expectation
• ～ば～ほど — The More, The More
• ～ほど — To the Extent That
• わりに(は) — Considering That