～は～より～です

The structure ～は～より～です is used to make comparisons between two things, stating that one is more of some quality than the other. It translates to "A is more ~ than B" or "A is ~er than B."

The basic pattern is: A は B より [adjective / descriptor] です

Here, A is the topic being described, B is what it is being compared to, and the adjective or descriptor states how A surpasses B.

Word order

The item placed before は is the main topic – the thing you are making a statement about. The item placed before より is the reference point for the comparison. Changing the order reverses the meaning:

Usage with different predicates

While い-adjectives and な-adjectives are the most common predicates in this pattern, nouns and verb phrases can also appear:

• い-adjective:

  ばすバスはでんしゃ電車よりおそいです遅いです。

  Buses are slower than trains.

• な-adjective:

  このこうえん公園はあのこうえん公園よりしずか静かです。

  This park is quieter than that park.

• Noun + です (indicating preference or category):

  わたくし私はこうひいコーヒーよりこうちゃ紅茶がすき好きです。

  I like tea more than coffee.

In the last example, the topic わたくし私 takes は, and the preferred item takes が with すき好き. The item after より is the thing liked less. This is a very common and natural pattern for expressing preferences.

Omitting より

In casual speech, the より phrase is sometimes omitted when the comparison is obvious from context. However, when using this full structure, both は and より should be present to make the comparison explicit.