寧ろ
むしろ · mushiro · JLPT N3 · adverb
rather
mushiro sounds like much rather, which is what it means
The kanji 寧 carries the same sense in Chinese: 宁可 means would rather. So 寧ろ marks the better choice of two, as in it is rather cold than warm: 暑いより寧ろ寒い.