むしろ

• 読み: むしろ
• ローマ字: mushiro
• 漢字の分解: 寧 (nei/mu) — peaceful, rather (kanji form 寧ろ is rarely used)
• 発音: /mɯ.ɕi.ɾo/

意味

Rather; better; instead; if anything. Used to express a preference or correction.

An adverb used to present an alternative or reframe a situation. Often appears when the speaker wants to correct an impression or state a preference: AよりむしろB (B rather than A). Can also mean 'if anything' when qualifying a previous statement. Natural in both spoken and written Japanese.

例文

1. 怒っているというより、むしろ悲しいんだ。
2. タクシーよりむしろ歩いたほうが早い。
3. 失敗をむしろ良い経験だと思うことにした。

使い方ガイド

場面: conversation, writing, debate

トーン: corrective

起源と歴史

Written in kanji as 寧ろ, from 寧 (nei/mu, peaceful/rather). The hiragana form むしろ is standard in modern writing. Originally meant 'even if peaceful' and evolved into a comparative particle.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal