より — Than (Comparison Standard)
Marks the standard something is compared against — the 'than X' part. Whatever より attaches to is the baseline that the subject surpasses (or differs from).
Structure
[A]は [B]より [adjective]（です）
Examples
今日は昨日より暑い。
Kyou wa kinou yori atsui.
Today is hotter than yesterday.
昨日より (than yesterday) — yesterday is the baseline; today is hotter
花より団子
Hana yori dango
Dumplings over flowers (substance over style).
花より (rather than flowers) + 団子 (dumplings) — a famous proverb
飛行機は電車より速いです。
Hikouki wa densha yori hayai desu.
Airplanes are faster than trains.
電車より (than trains) — the train is the baseline that the airplane surpasses
• より means 'compared to / than', never 'less than'. • Often paired with のほうが: AのほうがBより高い ('A is more expensive than B'), where のほうが highlights the winner and より marks the standard.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones より is tested against.
vs のほうが
のほうが points to the item that is 'more' (the winner); より marks the standard it is compared against ('than B'). They frequently appear together.
vs 一番
より compares two items ('A is bigger than B'); 一番 picks the top out of three or more ('the biggest').
More comparison
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