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My basic understanding of より to compare things or ending letters, is failing me when there's a で or での in front of it.

As I write this, I'm wondering, can read でより as "with, more", "in, more"?

さらに低い給料でより多くの責任を引き受ける
accept more responsibilities for less money

その地域でより快適なインターネット接続が可能になる
provide the area with a better Internet connection

より安い賃金でより長く働く
to work longer hours for less money

みんなでより良い地球を創っていけるでしょう。
together we can create a better world.


でのより is really tripping me up. I'm not understanding how this functions at all.

日本語でのより一般的な漢字表記は亜米利加であり
In Japanese, a typical way to write [America] with kanji is 亜米利加. [?]

勤務時間が長いほど、職場でのより多くの事故につながるのではないかと、長い間思われてきた。
It has long been suspected that longer working hours result in more accidents in the work place.

2 Answers 2

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より, when preceding an adjective as in your examples, means "more" or "-er":

より多くの more [numerous]

より快適な more pleasant, smoother

より長い longer

より良い better

より一般的な more common, more typical

As such, でより and でのより should not be considered together. で and での go with the preceding word, and より goes with the succeeding word.

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Derek already answered the question well, but let me add an important difference between English and Japanese about comparisons. While “より X” means “more X,” simple “X” can also mean “more X.” In other words, unlike English, the comparative degree does not have to be made explicit in Japanese. The adverb より clarifies or emphasizes that it is about a comparison.

For example, suppose that Shun and Takumi are comparing their heights. (○ before an example means that it is correct, × means that it is incorrect, and ? means that it is questionable.)

○ 駿の方が背が高い。 (しゅんのほうがせがたかい。) Shun is taller.
○ 駿の方が背がより高い。 (しゅんのほうがせがよりたかい。) Shun is taller. (with emphasis on the comparison)

○ 駿は拓海に比べて背が高い。 (しゅんはたくみにくらべてせがたかい。) Shun is taller than Takumi.
○ 駿は拓海に比べて背がより高い。 (しゅんはたくみにくらべてせがよりたかい。) Shun is taller than Takumi. (with emphasis on the comparison)

When the particle ~より is used to signify the second member of the comparison, the adverb より sounds weird because of the repetition of the same form より.

○ 駿は拓海より背が高い。 (しゅんはたくみよりせがたかい。) Shun is taller than Takumi. (より in this example is the particle.)
? 駿は拓海より背がより高い。 (しゅんはたくみよりせがよりたかい。)

I do not think that the adverb より can be used with the amount of the difference:

○ 駿の方が 5 センチ背が高い。 (しゅんのほうがごセンチせがたかい。) Shun is taller by 5 centimeters.
× 駿の方が 5 センチ背がより高い。 (しゅんのほうがごセンチせがよりたかい。)

Historically, the adverb より arose from the particle より, and the adverb より was first used in translations from European languages in Meiji era (according to Daijirin). Therefore, excessive use of the adverb より may result in translationese.

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  • Thanks for elaborating. I was pretty embarrassed by how simple Derek's answer was because I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out alone. Strangely glad to see it's a bit more complicated. Jul 2, 2011 at 14:31
  • @Tsuyoshi heys btw is it true that 駿の方が背がより高い can also be written as 駿の方がより背が高い ?
    – Pacerier
    Jul 4, 2011 at 1:09
  • @Pacerier: Yes, I think that 背がより高い and より背が高い are interchangeable. Jul 4, 2011 at 1:41

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