kono jishoapuri wa mae no yori wakariyasui desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of kono jishoapuri wa mae no yori wakariyasui desu.

• です: to be
• の: possessive case particle
• より: comparative particle

Questions & Answers about kono jishoapuri wa mae no yori wakariyasui desu.

What does より mean in this sentence?

より marks the thing being compared against. In English, it usually corresponds to than.

So:

• 前のより = than the previous one

In this sentence, the structure is:

• A は B より adjective です
• A is more adjective than B

So:

• この辞書アプリは前のより分かりやすいです。
• This dictionary app is easier to understand than the previous one.

What is 前の doing here? Why doesn’t it say 前のアプリ?

前の means the previous ... or the earlier ....
Japanese often leaves out a noun when it is obvious from context.

So 前のより is a shortened version of something like:

• 前のアプリより = than the previous app
• 前の辞書アプリより = than the previous dictionary app
• 前のバージョンより = than the previous version

Because the listener already knows what is being compared, Japanese can simply say 前の by itself.

In natural English, this is like saying:

• the previous one
• the earlier one

Why is there a の after 前?