むしろRather, Instead, Over

When a speaker is making a determination about something in Japanese, the adverb むしろ is often used to express a more accurate depiction of what has already been said. This is regularly translated as 'rather', or 'instead'.

むしろ will mostly appear at the beginning of new sentences, or the beginning of a second clause within a sentence, before information about (A) will be clarified.

As むしろ seeks to give a more accurate description about something, it will often be paired with grammar patterns such as より, to show where the comparison is being made.

Fun Fact

むしろ comes from the kanji 寧(むし)ろ, literally meaning 'preferable'. This is the same kanji that appears in the word 丁寧(ていねい), meaning 'polite' (sometimes also translated as 'careful'). The grammar structure むしろ itself may even be translated as 'preferably', simply expressing that careful consideration has been given to describing something accurately.