Questions tagged [comparative-constructions]

49 questions
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How can I express that X is as big/small/fast/... as Y?

I would like to know how to express that something is equal in some aspect to another thing (or person, if that makes a difference), as you would express in English by saying: X is as (adjective) as Y for example: This car is as fast as that car. It…
uli
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How to express a comparison between two elements in two different fields

It can seem a trivial question but I am quite struggling. I would like to translate a sentence form like this one: [noun1] is more/less [adjective1] than [noun2] is [adjective2].
Chewie
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More complex comparisons with より

The use of より/のほうが for comparisons seems straightforward when comparing like with like (e.g. "私の方が彼より英語が上手く話せる"). But I have trouble finding a non-clumsy way to express more complex comparisons, e.g. constructing as phrase like "a person who speaks…
CAW
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This usage of 方 in 何にもできねえ方がどんだけ平和だろうと思うぜ

So there's a character in a manga that says this: 空想だけで何でもできちゃう奴を見ちまうと 何にもできねえ方がどんだけ平和だろうと思うぜ (Link to source) Now the 方 in the text has the furigana of ほう. So if I'm not mistaken that means "way/side/direction". But it seems that the furigana…
dotnetN00b
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Confusion between ~に似てる ~と似てる

From https://www.imabi.net/theparticleto.htm, と may mark a subject being compared. As for 似る, ~に似る and ~と似る are possible but slightly different. と in this case marks one side of a mutual relation(ship) whereas に only shows the standard of…
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What is 方 used for in 早く行った方が良かったでしょう?

早く行った方が良かったでしょう。 Here, if we take it apart we shall have: 早く(Adverb) 行った(Verb, Past tense) 方(?) が(GA, Subject particle) 良かったでしょう(Verb, Past tense) 。 What is the function of 方 in this position? I've read that it can be suffix, suffix of what?
minerals
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A more colloquial way of comparing A and B than the A のほうがBよりXです pattern?

I want to say that 'A is cheaper than B'. Genki, the book, would formally suggest: A のほうがBよりやすいです.  What would be a more colloquial way to say this?
cgo
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I think it's incorrect: 小さいのより大きい方がいいです。 is it?

Somewhere I encountered the following example sentence: 小{ちい}さいのより大{おお}きい方{ほう}がいいです。 It's supposed to mean "The big (one) is better than the small (one)." If I understand correctly, より should directly follow a noun (or a noun-like construction, ),…
athoshun
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How is の方 used in それより公安の方は?

A: [金]{かね}は? B: いつもの[通]{とお}りだ。それより[公安]{こうあん}の[方]{ほう}は? A: 心配するな。 私がついている。 A: The money? B: Planned as always. Aside from that, public safety の方は? A: Don't worry. We're with you. I'm not understanding what the の方は? is doing. Or what it's supposed…
dotnetN00b
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How to say "He wants it less spicy" in Japanese

Whats the best way to tell someone, that a person wants something less spicy? あまり辛くほしくない would be a way to say it differently, but I'm looking for "less...".
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Saying 'In my opinion, the internet has more good points than bad points'. [Comparative]

To say 'In my opinion, the internet has more good points than bad points', would the following phrase be correct; 「僕のいけんでインタネットは悪い点よりもっといい点があります。」 Would this phrase be correct? Or would it make more sense to omit 「もっと」from the phrase. Or is the…
A-a
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Word order in a comparative sentence

The original sentence was interrogative and used「AはBよりC」construction in it 九州では東京よりさくらが早くさきますか。 I could have written something, using simpler constructions but I decided to use the construction with 「同じ」, and faced some troubles. First off, I…
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Questions about comparatives

I have two questions that I think are quite related regarding the interpretation of comparatives. 1. Is it necessary to include a より or a 方 expression to convey a comparative? Suppose you are having a conversation about how the book you just read…
G-Cam
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noun + verb + comparative degree + than I thought

What are the Japanese constructions to express the following English formula? noun + verb + comparative degree + than I thought E.g. Today is colder than I thought. This works better than I thought. Is it possible to…
user1602
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How to make comparisons like "the wider the river the easier to navigate"?

How to make comparisons like "the wider the river the easier to navigate"? I mean, how to say that because something is this way, something else is that other way? Thank you very much.
Gabu
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