| Do you remember how the character said, |
| Then Himari is better than me. |
| じゃ、ひまりの ほうが わたしより じょうずですね｡ (Ja, Himari no hō ga watashi yori jōzu desu ne.) |
| じゃ、ひまりの ほうが わたしより じょうずですね｡ (Ja, Himari no hō ga watashi yori jōzu desu ne.) |
| This sentence follows the pattern here. |
| [Noun 1] のほうが [Noun 2] より [Adjective] です｡ ([Noun 1] no hō ga [Noun 2] yori [Adjective] desu.) |
| [Noun 1] is more [adjective] than [Noun 2]. |
| This pattern is used to compare two things and say that one has more of a certain quality than the other. You start with the item you’re saying is greater — that’s [Noun 1]. Add のほう, which literally means "the side of," but in comparisons it just marks “the one” or “the option." |
| が marks the subject. Next is [Noun 2] より, meaning "compared to [Noun 2]." After that, use an adjective to show what quality you're comparing. Finally, add です to make it polite. |
| Let’s see how the line from the dialogue follows this pattern. |
| じゃ、ひまりの ほうが わたしより じょうずですね。 |
| In this sentence: |
| じゃ means "then" or "well," connecting from the previous context. |
| ひまりの ほうが follows the first part of the pattern. ひまり is the name "Himari," and のほうが means "Himari is the one who..." |
| わたしより uses より to compare with "me." So this means "compared to me." |
| じょうず is the adjective meaning "skilled" or "good at something." |
| ですね adds a confirming or friendly tone. |
| You can also flip the order depending on which noun you want to focus on: |
| [Noun 2] より [Noun 1] のほうが [Adjective] です。 |
| (Compared with Noun 2, Noun 1 is more ADJ.) |
| For example, we see the following sentence in the dialogue: |
| 中学生の子より、ひまりちゃんの ほうが はやいです｡ (Chūgakusei no ko yori, Himari-chan no hō ga hayai desu.) |
| Himari is faster than the middle school students. |
| Both orders are okay. |
| You can start with the item you want to compare or start with the thing you’re comparing against. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| そばの ほうが ラーメンより 安いです｡ (Soba no hō ga rāmen yori yasui desu.) |
| Soba is cheaper than ramen. |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| Let's break it down: |
| そば means “soba noodles.” |
| のほうが shows that we are choosing or focusing on soba. It means “soba is the one that…” in this sentence. |
| ラーメンより means “compared to ramen” or “than ramen.” |
| 安いです means “is cheap.” In this case, “cheaper.” |
| So, the full sentence そばの ほうが ラーメンより 安いです (soba no hō ga rāmen yori yasui desu) means "Soba is cheaper than ramen." |
| Here's another example |
| ここのケーキの ほうが あそこの ケーキより うまいです｡ (Koko no kēki no hō ga asoko no kēki yori umai desu.) |
| The cake here is tastier than the cake over there. |
| ここのケーキの ほうが あそこの ケーキより うまいです｡ (Koko no kēki no hō ga asoko no kēki yori umai desu.) |
| The cake here is tastier than the cake over there. |
| Let's try one more, |
| バスより 電車の ほうが べんりです｡ (Basu yori densha no hō ga benri desu.) |
| Compared to the bus, the train is more convenient. |
| バスより 電車の ほうが べんりです｡ (Basu yori densha no hō ga benri desu.) |
| Compared to the bus, the train is more convenient. |
| This sentence follows the second pattern — it starts with より to show what you're comparing against. |
| Another one. |
| とうきょうの ほうが きょうとより さむいですか｡ (Tōkyō no hō ga Kyōto yori samui desu ka.) |
| Is Tokyo colder than Kyoto? |
| とうきょうの ほうが きょうとより さむいですか｡ (Tōkyō no hō ga Kyōto yori samui desu ka.) |
| Is Tokyo colder than Kyoto? |
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