JLPT N3Spoken and writtenComparing

に比くらべてcompared with

You name what you are measuring against, and the rest of the sentence gives the result: more, less, cheaper, or not much different.

去きょ年ねんに比くらべて、今年ことしの夏なつは雨あめが少すくない。

Compared with last year, there has been less rain this summer.

How to form it

Noun + に比くらべて

と比くらべて and に比くらべると mean the same. Writing often shortens it to に比くらべ.

After a verb

Verb (plain form) + の + に比くらべて

Before it: What you measure against: last year, the old model, the big city, how things used to be.
After it: What you find: 多おおい, 安やすい, 増ふえた (has gone up), あまり変かわらない (isn't much different).
Where you'll meet it: Conversation, news and reports alike. 昔むかしに比くらべると, "compared with the old days", is something people say all the time.

In use

昨さく年ねんに比くらべて、今年ことしは海かい外がいからの注ちゅう文もんが二に割わり増ふえました。

Compared with last year, orders from overseas are up twenty percent this year.

昔むかしに比くらべると、この辺あたりもずいぶん便べん利りになった。

Compared with the old days, this area has become a lot more convenient.

旧きゅう型がたと比くらべて、この機き種しゅは充じゅう電でん時じ間かんが短みじかい。

Compared with the older model, this one takes less time to charge.

外そとで食たべるのに比くらべて、家いえで作つくるとずっと安やすい。

Compared with eating out, cooking at home is much cheaper.

に比くらべて or より?

より is "than". It is tied to a word that can be more or less: 安やすい, 多おおい, 早はやく. に比くらべて is "compared with". It only sets the comparison up, and what you find comes after.

この町まちは東とう京きょうより家や賃ちんが安やすい。

Rent in this town is cheaper than in Tokyo.

東とう京きょうより goes with 安やすい: "cheaper than Tokyo".

東とう京きょうに比くらべて、この町まちは家や賃ちんが安やすい。

Compared with Tokyo, rent in this town is cheap.

Tokyo is set up first. Then comes what you find.

Here the two say the same thing. As in English, "than" is the short everyday choice, and "compared with" lays the comparison out.

Because it only sets things up, what you find can also be "no real difference". より can't say that.

前まえのモデルに比くらべて、性せい能のうに大おおきな違ちがいはない。

Compared with the previous model, there is no big difference in performance.

Close neighbours

よりN5

The short everyday "than". 思おもったより, "than I expected", has no に比くらべて version.

試し験けんは思おもったより簡かん単たんでした。

The test was easier than I expected.

に対してN3

Two different things side by side: A is like this, B is like that. Neither is measured against the other.

兄あにが静しずかなのに対たいして、弟おとうとはよくしゃべる。

My older brother is quiet, whereas my younger brother talks a lot.

Check yourself

1Which one fits?

ほかの店みせ（　　）、値ね段だんはほとんど変かわらない。

Choose an answer to see why.

2Which one fits?

バスで行いく（　　）、電でん車しゃだと二に十じゅっ分ぷん早はやく着つく。

Choose an answer to see why.

More sentences

平へい日じつに比くらべ、週しゅう末まつは来らい館かん者しゃが多おおい。

Compared with weekdays, there are more visitors on weekends.

The written form.

十じゅう年ねん前まえに比くらべると、この地ち域いきには店みせが増ふえた。

Compared with ten years ago, there are more shops in this area.

若わかい世せ代だいに比くらべて、高こう齢れい者しゃは紙かみの新しん聞ぶんを読よむ割わり合あいが高たかい。

Compared with younger generations, a higher proportion of older people read print newspapers.

Compared with similar forms

Comparing things: "more than", "the most", "as … as"