に比べて | Compared To in Japanese

Setting a Baseline

に比(くら)べて names the thing you are measuring against.

去年(きょねん)に比(くら)べて今年(ことし)は暖(あたた)かい。(Compared with last year, this year is warm.)

The baseline comes first, the thing being judged second. Reversing them reverses the meaning.

Both compare, but they sit differently in the sentence:

Pattern	Shape
去年(きょねん)より暖(あたた)かい	direct, everyday, one adjective
去年(きょねん)に比(くら)べて暖(あたた)かい	frames a fuller comparison, slightly formal

より states a ranking. に比(くら)べて sets up a frame and can carry a longer clause after it, which is why reports prefer it.

Both are common variants. They soften the statement slightly, in the way a conditional usually does.

Example Sentences

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Speed

去年(きょねん)に比(くら)べて今年(ことし)は暖(あたた)かいです。

Compared with last year, this year is warm.

都会(とかい)に比(くら)べて田舎(いなか)は静(しず)かだ。

The countryside is quiet compared with the city.

以前(いぜん)に比(くら)べて利用者(りようしゃ)が増(ふ)えました。

Users have increased compared with before.

兄(あに)に比(くら)べて私(わたし)は背(せ)が低(ひく)い。

I'm short compared with my brother.

去年(きょねん)買(か)ったのに比(くら)べて質(しつ)がいい。

The quality is better than what I bought last year.

他社(たしゃ)に比(くら)べると価格(かかく)が高(たか)い。

The price is high compared with other companies.

男性(だんせい)に比(くら)べて女性(じょせい)の割合(わりあい)が高(たか)い。

The proportion of women is higher than that of men.

前回(ぜんかい)に比(くら)べれば随分(ずいぶん)よくなった。

It's much better than last time.