Comparing two things with より

In this pattern, the Japanese adjective keeps its usual form. Where English uses “more expensive” or “bigger,” the Japanese comparison is expressed through より and the rest of the sentence.

Use A は B より + adjective. より follows the comparison standard, B. 車くるま は 自転車じてんしゃ より 高たかい です means “The car is more expensive than the bicycle.” A structural guide is “The car, compared with the bicycle, is expensive.”

Track the particle roles: は marks A as the topic, and より marks B as the comparison standard. Swapping which item has each role reverses the comparison. “More” does not necessarily mean “better”—it can mean more expensive or more difficult.

English changes “big” to “bigger,” or adds “more” to “expensive.” Japanese can use the same 大おおきい or 高たかい with より. Translate the comparison naturally rather than leaving out the English comparative.