Japanese Grammar In Its Natural Habitat
Wild Nihongo!
より (Point Of Comparison)

より (Point Of Comparison)

より (Point Of Comparison) Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Particle

Essential Meaning: From / Before / After / Inside

Construction: 

  • Location Noun + より
    • E.g. アメリカより [From America / Compared with America]
  • Time Noun + より
    • E.g. 三時さんじより [Before 3 o’clock / After 3 o’clock / From 3 o’clock / Compared with 3 o’clock]

Notes:

  • より(Point Of Comparison) indicates a space or time to which some situation, event, or thing is compared.
    • E.g. Space: これより [From this place] In this case, HERE is the point in space relative to which some situation takes place (e.g. “From here“, “Up to here“, “North of here“).
    • E.g. Time: 三時さんじより [From 3 o’clock] In this case, 3 o’clock is the point in time relative to which some situation takes place (e.g. “Before 3 o’clock“, “After 3 o’clock“).
  • より(Point Of Comparison) may mark a real, physical thing, or it may mark an abstract or conceptual thing.
    • E.g. 八十はちじゅう点てんより上うえは合格ごうかくです。[Eighty points and above is a pass.] Here, 80 points represents a conceptual point (as opposed to a physical space) beyond which is a pass and beneath which is a fail.
  • から (Starting Point / Source Marker) is another particle that is similar but not identical to より (Point of comparison). The basic difference between the two is that から (Starting Point / Source Marker) simply marks a starting point, while より indicates a comparison between two things. から (Starting Point / Source Marker) may be freely used in place of より when referring to a set point in space. However, when referring to time, から (Starting Point / Source Marker) can only replace より when indicating a starting time.
    • E.g. この線せんから内側うちがわに入はいってはいけません。[You must not go beyond this line.]
    • E.g. この線せんより内側うちがわに入はいってはいけません。[You must not go beyond this line.]
    • E.g. 三時さんじより後あとに来きてください。[Please come after 3 o’clock.]
    • E.g. 三時さんじから後あとに来きてください。[Please come after 3 o’clock.] This sentence is acceptable because から (Starting Point / Source Marker) marks a starting time from when it is acceptable to come.
    • E.g. 三時さんじより前まえに来きてください。[Please come before 3 o’clock.]
    • E.g. *三時さんじから前まえに来きてください。[Please come before 3 o’clock.] This sentence is unacceptable because から (Starting Point / Source Marker) cannot be used to mark an ending time. It can only mark a starting time.

Example Sentences:

メキシコは赤道せきどうより北きたにある。[Mexico lies north of the equator.]

この線せんより内側うちがわに入はいってはいけません。[You must not go beyond this line.]

三時さんじより前まえに来きてください。[Please come before 3 o’clock.]

これより先さきはバスがありません。[There are no buses from this point.]

WILD Examples:

Listen to this line at 2:04: 天使てんしの羽はねは多分たぶんこれより白しろくて綺麗きれいなんだろう [I think from here on the angels’ wings will be white and beautiful]
This song begins with the following line: 最初さいしょに会あった時ときよりずいぶん日ひに焼やけたね [Since the time that we first met, you’ve receive a lot of sun, haven’t you?]

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