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Comparisons & Degree

보다 - Than

보다 is the Korean particle meaning "than," used to compare two things, people, or situations.

Structure

[Noun]보다 + [more/less adjective]

Meaning: "Than [noun]" or "compared to [noun]"

Basic Formation

Simple Comparisons

[A]보다 [B]가/이 + adjective:

  • 사과보다 배가 더 커요 (Pears are bigger than apples)
  • 오늘보다 어제가 더 추웠어요 (Yesterday was colder than today)
  • 나보다 형이 더 키가 커요 (My older brother is taller than me)

With 더 (More)

보다 often used with 더 (more):

  • 이것보다 저것이 더 좋아요 (That is better than this)
  • 어제보다 오늘이 더 따뜻해요 (Today is warmer than yesterday)

Note: 더 is optional but commonly used

Core Meaning

Basic Comparison

Comparing two items:

  • A보다 B가 더 크다 (B is bigger than A)
  • 형보다 동생이 더 똑똑해요 (Younger sibling is smarter than older)

Standard of Comparison

보다 marks the baseline:

  • 작년보다 (than last year)
  • 나보다 (than me)
  • 이전보다 (than before)

Common Patterns

Than Me/You

  • 나보다 (than me)
  • 너보다 (than you)
  • 저보다 (than me - humble)
  • 당신보다 (than you - formal)

Than Time

  • 어제보다 (than yesterday)
  • 오늘보다 (than today)
  • 작년보다 (than last year)
  • 이전보다 (than before)
  • 지금보다 (than now)

Than This/That

  • 이것보다 (than this)
  • 저것보다 (than that)
  • 그것보다 (than that)

Sentence Patterns

[A]보다 [B]가/이 더 + Adjective

B is more [adjective] than A:

  • 사과보다 배가 더 비싸요 (Pears are more expensive than apples)
  • 서울보다 부산이 더 따뜻해요 (Busan is warmer than Seoul)

[A]보다 [B]가/이 덜 + Adjective

B is less [adjective] than A:

  • 오늘보다 어제가 덜 추웠어요 (Yesterday was less cold than today)
  • 이것보다 저것이 덜 어려워요 (That is less difficult than this)

[Noun]보다 + Adverb/Adjective

More/less than noun:

  • 예상보다 쉬워요 (Easier than expected)
  • 생각보다 비싸요 (More expensive than thought)
  • 평소보다 일찍 왔어요 (Came earlier than usual)

With Different Adjectives

Size/Amount

  • A보다 더 크다 (bigger than)
  • A보다 더 작다 (smaller than)
  • A보다 더 많다 (more than)
  • A보다 더 적다 (less than)

Quality

  • A보다 더 좋다 (better than)
  • A보다 더 나쁘다 (worse than)
  • A보다 더 예쁘다 (prettier than)
  • A보다 더 못생기다 (uglier than)

Difficulty

  • A보다 더 쉽다 (easier than)
  • A보다 더 어렵다 (harder than)
  • A보다 더 간단하다 (simpler than)
  • A보다 더 복잡하다 (more complex than)

Price

  • A보다 더 비싸다 (more expensive than)
  • A보다 더 싸다 (cheaper than)

Temperature

  • A보다 더 덥다 (hotter than)
  • A보다 더 춥다 (colder than)
  • A보다 더 따뜻하다 (warmer than)
  • A보다 더 시원하다 (cooler than)

Common Expressions

Than Expected

  • 예상보다 (than expected)
    • 예상보다 어려워요 (Harder than expected)
    • 예상보다 쉬워요 (Easier than expected)

Than Thought

  • 생각보다 (than thought)
    • 생각보다 재미있어요 (More fun than thought)
    • 생각보다 비싸요 (More expensive than thought)

Than Usual

  • 평소보다 (than usual)
    • 평소보다 일찍 일어났어요 (Woke up earlier than usual)
    • 평소보다 늦었어요 (Later than usual)

Than Before

  • 이전보다 (than before)
    • 이전보다 좋아졌어요 (Got better than before)
    • 이전보다 나빠졌어요 (Got worse than before)

Verb Comparisons

Action Comparisons

보다 with action verbs:

  • 걷는 것보다 뛰는 게 더 빨라요 (Running is faster than walking)
  • 듣는 것보다 말하는 게 더 어려워요 (Speaking is harder than listening)

Pattern: [Verb]-는 것보다

Omitting 더

더 Can Be Optional

With 보다, meaning is still clear:

  • 이것보다 저것이 좋아요 (That is better than this)
  • 어제보다 오늘이 따뜻해요 (Today is warmer than yesterday)

Adding 더 makes comparison more explicit:

  • 이것보다 저것이 더 좋아요
  • 어제보다 오늘이 더 따뜻해요

Question Forms

Which is More?

뭐가 더 + adjective?:

  • 뭐가 더 좋아요? (What is better?)
  • 어느 게 더 커요? (Which is bigger?)
  • 누가 더 빨라요? (Who is faster?)

Than What?

뭐보다 더 + adjective?:

  • 뭐보다 더 좋아요? (Better than what?)
  • 언제보다 더 바빠요? (Busier than when?)

Negative Comparisons

Less Than

Using 덜 (less):

  • A보다 덜 비싸요 (Less expensive than A)
  • A보다 덜 어려워요 (Less difficult than A)

Not As ... As

Using 못하다:

  • A만큼 좋지 못해요 (Not as good as A)
  • (Different pattern - see 만큼 section)

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

  • 이것보다 저것이 더 좋습니다 (That is better than this)

Polite (해요체)

  • 이것보다 저것이 더 좋아요 (That is better than this)

Casual (반말)

  • 이것보다 저것이 더 좋아 (That is better than this)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Preference

A: 커피하고 차 중에 뭐가 더 좋아요? (Which do you like better, coffee or tea?)

B: 커피보다 차가 더 좋아요. (I like tea better than coffee.)

Dialogue 2: Comparison

A: 서울하고 부산 중에 어디가 더 커요? (Which is bigger, Seoul or Busan?)

B: 부산보다 서울이 더 커요. (Seoul is bigger than Busan.)

Dialogue 3: Price

A: 이거 생각보다 비싸네요. (This is more expensive than I thought.)

B: 네, 예상보다 가격이 높아요. (Yes, the price is higher than expected.)

Dialogue 4: Weather

A: 오늘 날씨가 어때요? (How's the weather today?)

B: 어제보다 훨씬 더 추워요. (It's much colder than yesterday.)

Special Patterns

보다 (는) (Rather Than)

Preference or choice:

  • 집에서 쉬는 것보다 밖에 나가는 게 더 좋아요 (Going out is better than resting at home)

X보다 Y가 낫다 (Y is Better)

Fixed expression:

  • 안 하는 것보다 하는 게 낫다 (Doing it is better than not doing it)
  • 늦는 것보다 안 가는 게 낫다 (Not going is better than being late)

With Measurements

Specific Differences

보다 + amount + 더:

  • 나보다 5cm 더 커요 (5cm taller than me)
  • 작년보다 10% 더 비싸요 (10% more expensive than last year)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 보다 나

Wrong word order

✅ Correct: 나보다

보다 comes after the noun

❌ Incorrect: 더 보다 크다

Wrong position of 더

✅ Correct: 보다 더 크다

더 comes after 보다

Comparison Summary

Basic Structure

[Standard] + 보다 + [Subject] + 가/이 + (더) + [Adjective]

Example:

  • 사과보다 배가 더 크다 (Pears are bigger than apples)

Summary Table

KoreanStructureExampleMeaning
A보다 더than A (more)어제보다 더 춥다Colder than yesterday
A보다 덜than A (less)이것보다 덜 비싸다Less expensive than this
~보다than ~예상보다 쉽다Easier than expected

Key Takeaways

  • ✅ Basic meaning: "Than" for comparisons
  • ✅ Word order: 보다 comes after the comparison standard
  • ✅ With 더: Often paired with 더 (more)
  • ✅ With 덜: Can use 덜 (less) for opposite
  • ✅ Essential pattern: Most common way to compare in Korean
  • ✅ Flexible: Works with nouns, adjectives, and verbs

보다 is the fundamental comparison particle in Korean, essential for expressing any "than" relationship. Master this pattern to make natural comparisons in all contexts.