より

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
ゟ (archaic) 与利 (archaic)

Originally derived as stem noun form of verb よる (yoru, “to arise from, to start from”), spelled variously in kanji as 因る, 依る, 由る.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jo̞ɾʲi]

Particle

より • (yori) 

1. than; rather than; more than; more so than

   上(うえ)田(だ)さんは僕(ぼく)より背(せ)が高(たか)い。

   Ueda-san wa boku yori se ga takai.

   Mr. Ueda is taller than I am.

   オレンジより林(りん)檎(ご)が好(す)き。

   Orenji yori ringo ga suki.

   I like apples more than oranges.

2. from, beyond, or past a point in space or time

   ここより危(あぶ)ないですよ。

   Koko yori abunai desu yo.

   It's dangerous past / beyond / from here.

   千(ち)歳(とせ)より出(しゅっ)発(ぱつ)します。

   Chitose yori shuppatsu shimasu.

   We depart from Chitose.

   博(はく)物(ぶつ)館(かん)の展(てん)示(じ)が 6(ろく)月(がつ) 10(とお)日(か)より開(かい)催(さい)されます。

   Hakubutsukan no tenji ga rokugatsu tōka yori kaisai saremasu.

   The museum exhibit opens from June 10.

Usage notes

The archaic ligature kana ゟ was used for yori from roughly the Edo Period to World War II. It is not used in contemporary Japanese.

Synonyms

• (more emphatic) よりも (yori mo)

Etymology 2

Calque of European grammatical constructions^[1] such as English more, leveraging the from, beyond, past sense of the particle.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) より [yòrí] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞ɾʲi]

Adverb

より • (yori) 

1. more

   より綺(き)麗(れい)な環(かん)境(きょう)

   yori kirei na kankyō

   a cleaner environment

   • 2019 August 4, QuizKnock [QuizKnock], 最弱オセロAIが弱過ぎて絶対勝っちゃうww本気で負けてみた [The weakest Othello AI is so weak that you're guaranteed to win! So we tried to lose]‎:

     より勝(か)っちゃった。

     Yori katchatta.

     You've won more.

Synonyms

• もっと (motto)

Etymology 3

Alternative spelling
寄り

The 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 寄(よ)る (yoru, “to approach, to draw near”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) より [yòrí] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞ɾʲi]

Noun

より • (yori) 

1. leaning
2. (by extension) tending towards, leaning towards
   • 2016, 永田(ながた)カビ (Nagata Kabi)<t:Kabi Nagata>, さびしすぎてレズ風俗(ふうぞく)に行(い)きましたレポ (Sabishisugite rezu fūzoku ni ikimashita repo) [My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness]:

     あ、触(さわ)りたいところあったら触(さわ)っていいからね。タチ寄(よ)りなだけでリバだから

     A, sawaritai tokoro attara sawatte ii kara ne. Tachi-yori na dake de riba da kara

     Oh, and you can touch me whereever you want to. I'm vers; I just lean towards top.

Verb

より • (yori) 

1. stem or continuative form of よる (yoru) [godan]

Further reading

• レズビアン用語 on the Japanese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ja

Etymology 4

Alternative spellings
縒り 撚り

The 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 縒る, 撚る (yoru, “to twist, to entwine”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) より [yòríꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞ɾʲi]

Noun

より • (yori) 

1. twisting

Verb

より • (yori) 

1. stem or continuative form of よる (yoru) [godan]

References

1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN