The より Particle: Than / From (Formal)
The より particle, meaning "than" or formal "from," is a 格助詞 (case particle). It attaches to a noun and names that noun as a reference point: a standard, a starting point, or a boundary for the rest of the sentence.12 One grammatical relation appears as three senses: comparative "than", formal "from", and the restrictive "from this point onward" reading found on signs and announcements.31
Overview
What より is, in one line
より names something as the reference for the predicate. In the comparative use, it is the standard an adjective is measured against ("taller than him").34 In the formal "from" use, it is the source of a motion, a starting time, or a sender in written and ceremonial register ("from 11 o'clock", "from Yamada").5 In the restrictive use, it fixes a boundary one passes beyond ("no entry beyond this point").1
The grammatical job stays constant across the three senses. What shifts is the type of reference: a scale, a span, or a boundary.1
Classification and register
より is a 格助詞 (case particle) in every use.1 A case particle attaches to a noun and names that noun's grammatical role in the clause. That shared frame is what makes the three surface senses one particle rather than three homophones.
Comparative より is register-neutral and the standard way to say "than" in Japanese.34 Formal-from より belongs to written, ceremonial, business, broadcast, and announcement registers; it sounds stiff in casual conversation and is rarely used there.51
The particle is written in hiragana in all senses. The kanji 因る, 依る, and 由る spell the related verb よる ("to be based on, to depend on"), not the particle.2
A single-character ligature kana ゟ was used for yori from roughly the Edo period to World War II and is no longer used in modern Japanese.2 Learners will only meet it in historical reprints and on old monuments.
JLPT level and where it appears
The comparative AはBより〜 pattern is on standard N5 grammar lists.64 The formal "from" use is N5 recognition material. It appears on signs (これより先, "beyond this point"), in announcements (11時より, "from 11 o'clock"), and at the end of letters (山田より, "from Yamada"), all of which appear in N5 reading and listening exposure.51
The richer comparison toolkit (の方が, 一番, ほど for negative comparisons) is covered alongside より in general-purpose comparison references7 and is kept here at concept level only. The dedicated comparison article carries the full treatment.
Bunpro files the より～のほうが card at N5 and the standalone より card at N4.68 Tofugu, Imabi, and the standard N5 reading register (signs, announcements, letters) place the recognition target at N5.451 The split is a difference inside the reference systems, not a learner-level shift. This article anchors より at N5, with the standalone-particle deepening flagged as N4-leaning.
Form and pronunciation
Surface form
より is two hiragana, pronounced yo-ri (two morae). A mora is a timing unit in Japanese rhythm. There is no long vowel, no voicing alternation, and no contracted variant in modern standard Japanese. The slang contraction yoka (< yori-ka) is dialectal and outside N5 scope.12 The surface form is identical across the comparative, formal-from, and restrictive senses.1
Attachment rules at a glance
より attaches directly to a noun. In the comparative use, the noun is the standard of comparison: [noun]より[adjective].34 In the formal "from" use, the noun is the source (a time, place, person, or origin): [noun]より [predicate].35 In the restrictive use, より attaches to a demonstrative or a time / place point and is followed by a direction or scope word: これ (this) / ここ (here) / 今 (now) + より + 先 (ahead) / 南 (south) / 大変 (serious) ….1
No copula comes before より in any of the three uses. The noun-plus-だ-before-から requirement for the reason use of から does not apply here, because より does not express a reason.3 The optional particle も may follow より for emphasis (よりも) without changing the basic meaning.47
A part-of-speech reminder for new learners: in the examples below, the word immediately to the left of より is a noun. That is the only category より can attach to.
Position in the clause
The より-phrase usually comes before the predicate. In the comparative use, the two standard orderings are AはBより〜 and BよりAのほうが〜. Both are grammatical for the same proposition, and the difference is how the information is packaged.36 Word order around より is flexible; the より-phrase can shift without changing the meaning.7
In the formal "from" use, the より-phrase comes before the verb and can move among other time, place, or manner phrases, like から.5 In the restrictive use, the より-phrase typically opens a clause or stands alone on a sign: これより先、立入禁止 (no entry beyond this point).1
The three core uses of より
The diagram below shows how the same particle attaches to three kinds of reference noun and supplies the relation for three kinds of predicate.
1. Comparative: "than" (AはBより + adjective)
より marks the standard used for a comparison. The pattern is [topic]は [standard]より [adjective]. The noun attached to より is the standard (the "less" item in the pairing). The adjective applies to the topic (the "more" item).38
Japanese adjectives do not change form for comparison. There is no "-er" suffix and no required "more" word. The より-phrase carries the comparative meaning by itself.47
私は彼より背が高い。4
"I am taller than he is."
このイチゴは、あのイチゴより大きい。4
"This strawberry is bigger than that one."
日本語は英語より話しにくい。8
"Japanese is harder to speak than English."
The variant よりも adds light emphasis without changing the relation.47
トムは、ベンよりも３才年上だ。4
"Tom is three years older than Ben."
Bunpro names this as the central N5 pitfall: "より is taught as meaning 'more', but the word that より is attached to will actually be the thing that is 'less' (something)."8 Reading 私は彼より背が高い as "He is taller than me" reverses the comparison. より always points at the standard. The topic is the side being measured.
The colloquial variant よりか and the further-contracted slang よか are listed in reference grammars as くだけた言い方 (casual expressions). Both fall outside standard N5 production targets.1
2. Comparative word-order option: BよりAのほうが〜
The same comparison can put the standard first for emphasis or contrast. The pattern is [standard]より [item]のほうが [adjective].67 より still attaches to the standard, and のほうが still attaches to the chosen "more" item. Only the word order changes.6
このパンよりそのパンのほうが美味しいです。6
"That bread is more delicious than this bread."
バスケットボールよりサッカーのほうが好き。6
"I like soccer more than basketball."
トムの方が、ベンよりも背が高い。4
"Tom is taller than Ben."
The choice between AはBより〜 and BよりAのほうが〜 is about information packaging: which side the speaker wants to place first for contrast, or as the answer to a prior question. It is not a difference in grammar.7
| Pattern | Front-loaded element | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| AはBより〜 | Topic A (the "more" item) | Neutral statement about A |
| BよりAのほうが〜 | Standard B, then choice A | Contrast, answer to "which?" |
The full comparison toolkit is covered in the dedicated comparison article. Here, it is only named at concept level: の方が paired with 一番 for superlatives, and ほど for negative comparisons like AはBほど〜ない.
3. Formal "from" with time, place, person, or origin
As a source marker, より is "a more formal way to indicate an 'origin' than から" and "has basically the same meaning as から". The difference is register, not semantics.53 Because より is older, it has retained the formal tone. When it carries the source-of-motion sense, it can only follow a noun, typically a location or a point in time.5
The formal-from use surfaces in business introductions, broadcast announcements, weather and transit reports, real-estate listings, and letter sign-offs.59
会議は五時より行います。1
"The meeting will be held from 5 o'clock."
京都支店より参りました。5
"I have come from the Kyoto branch."
未明より雪が降り続いていますが、午後には止むでしょう。5
"Snow has been falling continuously since pre-dawn, but it will probably stop in the afternoon."
ホームの白線より内側でお待ちください。1
"Please wait on the inside of the white line on the platform."
In sender lines on correspondence, より is used in the formal sign-off slot, paired with a recipient header.
ジェニーへ / マミより5
"To Jenny / From Mami."
Using より in formal contexts often pulls the surrounding verbs into formal register too. Humble forms like 参る replace plain 来る in self-introductions such as 京都支店より参りました.5 If a learner uses より with a plain-form verb in casual chat, the register clash is what makes the choice sound wrong, not the particle itself.
4. Restrictive "from this point onward" (これより先 / ここより南 / 今より)
より also marks a fixed boundary or threshold, paired with a direction or scope word. This is the "from" relation applied to a reference point that is itself a boundary.1 The pattern is [demonstrative or time point]より [direction / scope word]. Many high-frequency examples are stock signs and announcements.51
これより先、立入禁止。1
"No entry beyond this point."
学校は駅より手前にあるのです。1
"The school is on the near side of the station."
駅より徒歩5分。5
"Five minutes on foot from the station."
The restrictive use is mostly recognition material at N5. Learners meet it on signs, station-platform announcements, shrine inner-ground notices, and construction barriers more often than they compose it.1 The pattern productively extends to time points (本日より, 来月より, 今より), where it shades back into the formal-from use. The boundary between the two is gradual, not categorical.1
より vs から: the everyday-vs-formal "from" split
What changes between them
より and から carry the same "from" / source relation for time, place, person, and origin. The difference is register, not meaning.53 から is the everyday, register-neutral source marker, while より is the formal, written-register counterpart.5 In casual contexts, より is rare, but it appears in formal settings.1
The separate article on the から particle treats から's source-of-motion and reason senses in full. This article covers the formal-from counterpart and the comparative use that から does not share.
Where each one fits
から fits ordinary conversation, casual writing, instructions, and casual letter sign-offs.5 より fits ceremonial 拝啓-style letters, business email (especially 日頃より and 平素より), broadcast announcements (本日より, 11時より, 未明より), public signs (これより先), real-estate and transit notices (駅より徒歩X分, ホームの白線より内側), and formal self-introductions (京都支店より参りました).59
| Context | Everyday source (から) | Formal source (より) |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 11時から | 11時より |
| Place | 京都から来ました | 京都支店より参りました |
| Person (letter) | お母さんから | 山田より |
| Sign / announcement | (uncommon) | これより先, 本日より |
| Business set phrase | (uncommon) | 日頃より, 平素より |
| Real-estate listing | 駅から徒歩5分 | 駅より徒歩5分 |
Cross-register mixing (using より in casual chat, or から in a ceremonial announcement) sounds noticeable but is not strictly ungrammatical. Learners should treat the split as a recognition guide, not a binary rule.51
Why both exist
より is the older particle. It is reconstructed as one of the Old Japanese ablative case particles, alongside yu and yu-ri. "Ablative" means marking a source, origin, or starting point. より marked "source / origin / starting point" before the comparative reading became dominant in later periods.10 から spread later and now dominates everyday source-marking, pushing より into the formal / written register where older lexical items typically survive.5
The everyday-vs-formal split is therefore a register layering of historically related items, not a synonym pair invented for politeness.510
より vs nearby grammar
より vs から: covered above
Same "from" relation; から for ordinary speech and casual writing, より for formal, written, and ceremonial contexts.5 The full treatment is in the section above. This brief restatement is here to distinguish より from nearby grammar.
より vs の方が: standard-of-comparison vs side-being-chosen
より names the standard of comparison (the "less" item), and の方が names the side being chosen as "more".68 より always attaches to the standard; のほうが always attaches to the chosen item. The roles do not move. Only the word order does.6
AはBより〜 names B as the standard and A as the topic being measured against it. BよりAのほうが〜 keeps the same standard-and-item roles, but puts B first for contrast and uses のほうが to spotlight A as the choice or the "winner".67
At N5 the toolkit stays at concept level; the dedicated comparison treatment carries 一番 superlatives and ほど negative-comparison patterns.7
より vs まで: starting reference point vs far-end endpoint
より names the starting reference in formal register. まで names the far end of the span. The two combine: [time]より[time]まで is the formal counterpart of [time]から[time]まで.31
11時より17時まで会議です。1
"There is a meeting from 11 until 5."
The everyday equivalent is 11時から17時まで会議です。 The endpoint particle まで keeps its job in both register tiers. Only the starting particle changes with register.
The unifying logic: より marks a reference point
Why all three senses are the same particle
Every use of より names something that the rest of the sentence is measured from, started from, or built around.312 In the comparative use, the reference point is the standard for an adjective ("taller than him"). In the formal "from" use, the reference point is a starting moment, place, person, or origin ("from 11 o'clock", "from Yamada"). In the restrictive use, the reference point is a fixed boundary one passes beyond ("from this point onward").
The grammatical relation is constant: "this is the reference". The type of reference changes: scale, space, time, person, or boundary.1 Wiktionary derives the particle from the verb stem 寄る (yoru, "to draw near, to approach"; also written 因る / 依る / 由る in the cognate "to be based on" sense), which is the historical anchor for the "source / reference point" reading.2
Why this matters for N5 learners
Once より is read as "this is the reference," the jump from "taller than him" to "from Yamada" to "no entry beyond this point" stops looking like three unrelated particles.31 English uses different surface words (than, from, beyond) because it uses different prepositions and conjunctions for each kind of reference. Japanese reuses one particle because the relation is the same.1
The comparative use is a scale-based version of the reference-point relation. The formal "from" use is a time, space, or person version. The restrictive use is a boundary version. None of them name the subject, object, or destination of the predicate. Those slots stay open for は, が, を, に, へ, で, and まで.
Good to know
より is older than から; the register stratification follows from that
より is reconstructed as one of the Old Japanese ablative case particles (alongside yu and yu-ri) and held the "source" function before から spread.10 Here, "ablative" means source-marking. The Wiktionary entry, citing 大辞林, traces the particle to the stem of the verb 寄る (yoru, "to draw near, to approach"; cognate kanji 因る / 依る / 由る for the "based on / depend on" reading).2 As から took over everyday source-marking, より retained the formal, written, and ceremonial slot, following the familiar pattern in which older particles survive in higher registers.5
より attaches to the "less" item, not the "more" item
A common N5 / N4 misreading reads 私は彼より背が高い as "He is taller than me," reasoning that より means "more" and so attaches to the bigger item. The Bunpro card flags this directly: "より is taught as meaning 'more', but the word that より is attached to will actually be the thing that is 'less' (something)."8 The correct reading is:
私は彼より背が高い。4
"I am taller than he is."
より always attaches to the standard; the topic is the side being measured.
The Japanese adjective does not change for comparison
In English, comparison requires a form change ("tall" → "taller") or an added word ("more difficult"). In Japanese, the adjective stays in its dictionary form, and the より-phrase carries the comparative meaning by itself: 高い ("tall") plus より = "taller than".47 Learners frequently look for a comparative form of the adjective that does not exist. The fix is to treat より as the entire comparative marker and leave the adjective alone.
私は彼より背が高い。4
"I am taller than him."
The standard of comparison can be omitted when context supplies it
私のほうが高いです ("I am taller") works without 彼より if the listener already knows who the comparison is against. Japanese can make the standard explicit through the より-phrase, but the standard can be dropped on the same recoverability grounds as any other element recoverable from context.7 The same logic applies to subjects and other phrases in Japanese.
より in casual conversation sounds stiff
より "sounds too formal and stiff" for casual spoken Japanese.5 The everyday choice for "from" in conversation, casual writing, and informal letters is から. より appears when the surrounding register is also formal: humble verbs, 拝啓 letters, signs, and broadcast announcements.51 If a learner wants to say "I came from Tokyo" to a friend, 東京から来ました is the natural choice. 東京より参りました belongs in a business introduction.
山田より as a letter sign-off is the formal-from use, not a comparison
The closing 山田より pairs with a recipient header (〜様, 〜先生, 〜さんへ) and means "from Yamada". It is the formal-from sense used in the sender slot of correspondence.59 Beginners encountering 山田より sometimes parse it as a fragment of a comparative sentence. The convention is fixed, and the surrounding letter frame makes the reading unambiguous.
日頃より and 平素より are business set phrases, not free combinations
日頃より大変お世話になっております and 平素より格別のご高配を賜り厚くお礼申し上げます are fixed openers in business correspondence. They thank a counterpart for ongoing support.59 At N5, they are recognition targets, not productive patterns to assemble from scratch. The productive pattern is the formal "from" use. The set-phrase form is what connects the pattern to real business email.
これより先 is the canonical restrictive sign
The restrictive use appears in a small set of high-recognition phrases: これより先 (no entry beyond), ここより南 / 北 (south / north of here), 今より (from now on), 本日より (from today).51 The pattern productively extends to forms like 来月より新料金 ("new rates from next month") and 11時より会議 ("a meeting from 11"), but the high-frequency examples learners actually meet are signs and announcements.
Mnemonic: より marks the reference
The reference for a comparison (Bより, the thing A is taller than), the reference for a starting point (11時より, the time the meeting starts from), and the reference for a boundary (これより先, the point beyond which entry is forbidden) are all the same job in three forms.31 When in doubt, ask what より is the reference for: a scale, a span, or a boundary.
See also
- The は Particle: Topic Marker
- The が Particle: Subject Marker (and More)
- The の Particle: Possessive, Nominalizer, Attributive
- The を Particle: Direct Object
- Keigo Grammar Overview: How to Conjugate Honorific, Humble, and Polite Verbs
- Polite vs. Plain Japanese: です/ます vs. だ (丁寧体・普通体)