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…

nabulator
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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...".

Ashman
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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…

Tawahachee
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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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