also: ほうがよい
方がいい · i-adjective (yoi/ii class)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 方がいい | 方がよくない |
| Polite | 方がいいです | 方がよくないですalso 方がよくありません |
| Past polite | 方がよかったです | 方がよくなかったですalso 方がよくありませんでした |
| Past | 方がよかった | 方がよくなかった |
| Te-form | 方がよくて | 方がよくなくて |
| Adverbial | 方がよく | |
| Conditional | 方がよければ | 方がよくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 方がよかったら | 方がよくなかったら |
expression, i-adjective (yoi/ii class)
had better; should
Used after a past-tense verb to give strong advice or a recommendation, often implying a negative consequence if not followed.
You had better go to bed early.
You should take an umbrella.
expression, i-adjective (yoi/ii class)
had better not; should not
Used after a negative verb (ない-form) to advise against doing something; the negative form is often contracted to ～ない方がいい.
See also: した方がいい
You had better not stay up too late.
You shouldn't say things like that.
ほうがまし means 'better than the other bad option' implying both choices are unpleasant, while 方がいい simply recommends the preferable action.
Standard kanji-kana spelling; widely used in both formal and informal writing.
More formal or literary variant using the kanji 良い.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Formal variant with よい instead of いい; often used in polite or written contexts.
A grammaticalized construction from 方 (ほう, 'side/direction') + が (subject marker) + いい/よい ('good'), literally 'the side of doing X is good'. The past-tense verb before 方がいい is a conventional pattern, not a true past meaning.