〜くらいなら kurai nara

〜くらいなら（kurai nara）means “rather than; if it comes to (doing) ...”. States that an undesirable option A is so bad that the speaker would prefer alternative B. Formation: V-る ＋ くらいなら

rather than; if it comes to (doing) ...

N2

Formation

V-る ＋ くらいなら

Explanation

States that an undesirable option A is so bad that the speaker would prefer alternative B. The second clause typically uses 〜ほうがいい, 〜たい, or a negative choice. ぐらいなら is the voiced variant.

Examples

あんな店で待たされるくらいなら、家で食べたほうがましだ。
あんなみせでまたされるくらいなら、いえでたべたほうがましだ。
Rather than be kept waiting at a place like that, I'd be better off eating at home.
途中でやめるくらいなら、最初からやらないほうがいい。
とちゅうでやめるくらいなら、さいしょからやらないほうがいい。
If you're going to quit halfway, it's better not to start at all.

Note

The 'rather than' clause names the rejected, less acceptable option.

FAQ

〜くらいなら — what does it mean and how is it used?

rather than; if it comes to (doing) .... States that an undesirable option A is so bad that the speaker would prefer alternative B. The second clause typically uses 〜ほうがいい, 〜たい, or a negative choice. ぐらいなら is the voiced variant.

〜くらいなら — how do you form it?

V-る ＋ くらいなら

〜くらいなら — any usage notes?

The 'rather than' clause names the rejected, less acceptable option.

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