connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
というより — rather than ~
というより
Builds on という
Meaning
- rather than ~ / more like ~ than ~ — rejects a first label as not quite right and offers a more accurate one
Key sentence
彼は優しいというより、ただ気が弱いだけだ。
Rather than kind, he's just timid.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-form word or clause (the less accurate label) + というより + (the better one) | A というより B | 趣味というより仕事だ / 寒いというより痛い |
Examples
これは映画というより、長い広告だ。
This is more of a long advertisement than a movie.
疲れたというより、やる気が出ないんだ。
It's not so much that I'm tired — more that I can't get motivated.
Easily confused with
むしろ They pair up: というより rejects the first description, and むしろ then pushes the better one forward ('Aというより、むしろB'). むしろ can stand alone meaning 'if anything, rather'; というより always sets up the comparison. より Plain より compares two things by degree (AよりBが高い, 'B is taller than A'); というより compares two ways of *describing* the same thing and picks the apter wording.
Notes
- Casual variant ていうより. Often softened with 〜かな at the end (好きというより憧れかな).
See というより in real sentences
Jengo shows というより the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.