～というより
Correct a description with a more accurate one
You’ll be able to reframe something by saying that another expression fits better than the first.
このキャンピングカーは車というより、まるで小さな家のようです。
kono kyanpingu kaa wa kuruma to iu yori, marude chiisana ie no you desu.
What do you think this sentence means?
Rather than a car, this campervan is more like a tiny home.
Provide a more accurate description
～というより compares two descriptions and asserts that the second one is more fitting or accurate than the first ("rather than...", "not so much A as B").
今日は暖かいというより、暑いです。
kyou wa atatakai to iu yori, atsui desu.
Today is not so much warm as hot.
あの人は先生というより、友だちみたいな人です。
ano hito wa sensei to iu yori, tomodachi mitai na hito desu.
That person is more like a friend than a teacher.
Place というより between two descriptions
Attach というより to a word, phrase, or clause A, followed by the more accurate description B (A というより B).
その仕事は、大変というよりやりがいがあった。
sono shigoto wa, taihen to iu yori yarigai ga atta.
Rather than being tough, that job was rewarding.
～というより vs ～といっても
～というより swaps the first description for a better one. ～といっても keeps the first description but warns that it is less than it sounds.
～というより, rather than
寒いというより、痛いくらいだ。
samui to iu yori, itai kurai da.
It is not so much cold as painful.
“Cold” is not strong enough, so a better word replaces it.
～といっても, even though I say
寒いといっても、コートはいらない。
samui to itte mo, kooto wa iranai.
It is cold, but not so cold that you need a coat.
“Cold” is still true, just milder than it sounds.
この部屋は静かというより、音が何も聞こえない。
kono heya wa shizuka to iu yori, oto ga nani mo kikoenai.
This room isn’t so much quiet as completely silent.
彼の料理は趣味というより、もうプロのレベルだ。
kare no ryouri wa shumi to iu yori, mou puro no reberu da.
His cooking isn’t so much a hobby as something at a professional level.
「今日の雨は雨というより、嵐だね。」
“kyou no ame wa ame to iu yori, arashi da ne.”
“Today’s rain isn’t really rain; it’s more like a storm.”
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.