adverbial N2 common casualpolitewritten
何より — more than anything
何より ・ なにより
Meaning
- more than anything / above all / best of all — ranks one thing above everything else
Key sentence
健康が何より大切だ。
Health is more important than anything.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adverb; before the evaluation, or as 何より(も) | 何より(も) + [adjective / evaluation] | 何よりうれしい |
Examples
無事で何よりです。
I'm just glad you're safe — that's the best thing of all.
子供の笑顔が何よりの宝物だ。
My child's smile is a treasure above all else.
When you can't use it
- Ranks one item at the top; 〜で何よりです is a set phrase of relief ('I'm glad above all'), and 何よりの + N means 'the best ~ of all'.
Easily confused with
See 何より in real sentences
Jengo shows 何より the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.