Japanese Learning: Comparison between two using “Hou ga” in an Adjective Predicate Sentence; [A] no Hou ga [Adjective] desu.

Yesterday we learned an expression for comparison as the following;

1. Eigo wa Nihongo yori Muzukashii desu. (English is more difficult than Japanese.)

Some of you may say Japanese is more difficult than English, but don’t argue which is more difficult or not at this moment. Today, too, we are learning an expression for comparison, which uses “Hou ga”.

Q : Eigo to Nihongo to Dochira ga Muzukashii desuka.

(Which is more difficult, English or Japanese?)

A : Eigo no Hou ga Muzukashii desu.

(English is more difficult than Japanese.)

Actually, the sentence A can be as below;

2. Eigo no Hou ga Nihongo yori Muzukashii desu.

Look at 2. and 1. They look similar, but the difference is;

1. [Subject]= “Eigo wa”

2. [Subject]= “Eigo no Hou ga”

Knowing ‘what is the word “Hou”’ is one issue. But putting aside it, it seems like the issue of which to use for a subject, “wa”or “ga” comes again.

– “[Subject] wa” : the sentence is to explain nature/condition of the subject.

– “[Subject] ga” : the sentence is to identify what(which) the subject is.

Therefore, in the sentence 2;

2. Eigo no Hou ga Nihongo yori Muzukashii desu.

The word “Hou” helps to identify which is more difficult language in the comparison between English and Japanese.

This post was written with reference to the exercise A4 on Section 12 of “Minna no Nihongo” published by “3A Corporation”