良し悪し
also: よしわるし
Meanings
1
good or bad; right or wrong; quality; suitability
Used to evaluate whether something is good or bad, right or wrong, or of acceptable quality. Often appears in phrases like 良し悪しを判断する (judge the merits).
It's difficult to judge the merits of this proposal.
Everything has its good and bad points.
2
having both merits and demerits; pros and cons
Emphasizes that something has both positive and negative aspects, rather than a simple good/bad judgment. Often used when weighing trade-offs.
This new system has both advantages and disadvantages.
Usage patterns
- 〈事〉の良し悪しを判断するto judge whether something is good or bad
It's hard to judge whether this plan is good or bad.
- 〈事〉には良し悪しがあるsomething has both good and bad points
Working from home has its pros and cons.
- 〈物〉の良し悪しを見分けるto tell whether something is of good or poor quality
I was taught the trick of telling good vegetables from bad ones.