Japanese has no "-er" or "-est." Adjectives never change shape for comparison — 大きい stays 大きい whether something is big, bigger, or biggest. Comparison is done with a few particles and sentence frames. Learn the four patterns below and you can compare anything.
AはBより〜 — "A is more ~ than B"
より means "than." It attaches to the thing being beaten. The adjective stays in its plain dictionary form.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 東京は大阪より大きい | tōkyō wa ōsaka yori ōkii | Tokyo is bigger than Osaka |
| 今日は昨日より寒い | kyō wa kinō yori samui | today is colder than yesterday |
BよりAのほうが〜 — same idea, A in focus
のほうが ("the side of A is more…") spotlights the winner. Very common in speech; the より-phrase is often dropped when context is clear.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 犬より猫のほうが好き | inu yori neko no hō ga suki | I like cats more than dogs |
| 電車のほうが速い | densha no hō ga hayai | the train is faster (than that) |
Asking: どちらが〜?
To ask "which is more ~, A or B?" use AとBとどちらが〜ですか. Answer with のほうが. Note you use どちら (or casual どっち) even when there are exactly two — not どれ, which is for three or more.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コーヒーと紅茶とどちらがいいですか | kōhī to kōcha to dochira ga ii desu ka | Which is better, coffee or tea? |
| コーヒーのほうがいいです | kōhī no hō ga ii desu | Coffee is better |
Superlative: 〜の中でいちばん〜
There's no special "-est" form either. The most extreme member of a group is just いちばん ("number one," also written 一番) placed before the adjective, with the group marked by 〜の中で ("among ~").
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 果物の中でいちばん好き | kudamono no naka de ichiban suki | (I) like it best of all fruit |
| クラスでいちばん背が高い | kurasu de ichiban se ga takai | the tallest in the class |
For "which is the most ~?" the question word is どれ／だれ／どこ + がいちばん: どれがいちばん安いですか ("which is the cheapest?").
Same, and "not as ~ as"
AはBと同じ(です) = "A is the same as B" — note the particle is と, not に. For "not as ~ as," Japanese uses a negative: BほどA〜ない literally "A is not ~ to the extent of B."
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| これはあれと同じです | kore wa are to onaji desu | this is the same as that |
| 今日は昨日ほど寒くない | kyō wa kinō hodo samuku nai | today isn't as cold as yesterday |