〜くらいなら (kurai nara)

JLPT N2 Rather than that, I'd sooner do this — choosing the lesser evil.

Meaning

“Rather than ~, (I'd rather) ….” You reject one option as so unappealing that another becomes preferable.

Formation

Verb (dictionary) + くらいなら + (preferred choice, often 〜ほうがましだ)

Examples

満員電車に乗るくらいなら、歩いて行く。

Man'in densha ni noru kurai nara, aruite iku. — Rather than ride a packed train, I'll walk.

途中でやめるくらいなら、最初からやらないほうがいい。

Tochū de yameru kurai nara, saisho kara yaranai hō ga ii. — If you're going to quit halfway, you'd better not start at all.

彼に頼むくらいなら、自分でやったほうがましだ。

Kare ni tanomu kurai nara, jibun de yatta hō ga mashi da. — Rather than ask him, I'd sooner do it myself.

How it works

The speaker finds the first option so undesirable that even a troublesome or extreme alternative feels better. It always carries a subjective, emotional judgment — this is the option I refuse.

It is usually paired with 〜ほうがいい / 〜ほうがましだ, which names the alternative you actually prefer.

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜くらいなら — “rather than ~” — reject one option in favor of another

• 〜より — neutral comparison, “more than ~,” no rejection

• 〜ないで — “without doing ~,” simply not doing the action

Common mistakes

• Use the dictionary form before くらいなら: 待つくらいなら (not 待ったくらいなら).

• Pair it with a real alternative; a bare 〜くらいなら sounds unfinished.

Related grammar

• 〜ほうがいい — it's better to ~

• 〜より〜のほうが — B is more ~ than A

• 〜ないほうがいい — it's better not to ~