N4 · Wanting and intending
Giving advice: たほうがいい
たほうがいい and ないほうがいい
The た-form plus ほうがいい says "you had better"; the ない-form plus ほうがいい says "you had better not".
At a glance
- Remember
- Do it: たほうがいい. Don't: ないほうがいい.
- Form
- 休んだほうがいいyou had better rest
- Signal words
- 〜たほうがいい
- 〜ないほうがいい
- ほうがいいですよ
- ほうがいいですか
- Trap
- Wrong:あまり無理をしなかったほうがいいですよ。Right:あまり無理をしないほうがいいですよ。
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Japanese.
| you had better rest | 休んだほうがいい |
| you had better go | 行ったほうがいい |
| you had better not go | 行かないほうがいい |
| polite | 行ったほうがいいです |
| friendly advice | 行ったほうがいいですよ |
| should I …? | 行ったほうがいいですか |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
た-form + ほうがいい gives advice: "you had better".
熱があるなら、病院に行ったほうがいいですよ。If you have a temperature, you should see a doctor.
ない-form + ほうがいい: "you had better not".
夜遅く一人で歩かないほうがいいです。You had better not walk alone late at night.
The past form here does not mean the past.
明日は早く起きたほうがいい。You had better get up early tomorrow.
Ask for advice with ほうがいいですか.
予約したほうがいいですか。Should I book?
Example sentences
風邪なら、今日は休んだほうがいいですよ。If you have a cold, you should take today off.
寒いから、コートを着たほうがいい。It's cold, so you had better wear a coat.
その水は飲まないほうがいいです。You had better not drink that water.
大事な話だから、直接会って話したほうがいいと思います。It is an important matter, so I think you should talk to them in person.
雨が降りそうだから、傘を持って行ったほうがいいよ。It looks like rain, so you had better take an umbrella.
怒っているときは、メールを送らないほうがいい。When you are angry, it is better not to send emails.
7 more example sentences
もっと野菜を食べたほうがいいですよ。You should eat more vegetables.
知らない人にドアを開けないほうがいい。Better not open the door to strangers.
旅行の前に、保険に入ったほうがいい。You should take out insurance before the trip.
分からないことは、先生に聞いたほうがいいと思う。I think you should ask the teacher about anything you don't understand.
今日はもう帰ったほうがいいんじゃない？Shouldn't you go home now?
寝る前にコーヒーは飲まないほうがいいですよ。You'd better not drink coffee before bed.
駅までタクシーで行ったほうがいいですか。Should I take a taxi to the station?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Having learnt that advice takes the past form, learners put the negative into the past as well. But the past tense belongs only to positive advice; the negative is the plain ない-form, しないほうがいい.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
ほう is "side" or "direction", and ほうがいい is literally "that side is good" — of two possibilities, this one is better. After the past form of a verb it gives advice: 早く寝たほうがいい, "you had better go to bed early"; 病院に行ったほうがいいですよ, "you should see a doctor". The past form does not mean the past here; it presents the advised action as done, as if looking back from the better outcome.
Negative advice uses the ない-form, not the past: 無理をしないほうがいい, "you had better not overdo it". なかったほうがいい is not the usual form. In polite style です goes on the end: ほうがいいです, and very often よ follows, to make the advice sound helpful rather than bossy.
The dictionary form also occurs — 早く寝るほうがいい — and is common when two courses of action are being compared in general. As personal advice to the person in front of you, the た-form is the usual and stronger choice.
English "should" covers advice, duty and expectation. Only advice is たほうがいい. A duty or a rule is なければならない, and an expectation — "the train should arrive soon" — is はず. And advice to a superior is a risk in any form: たほうがいいですよ to a teacher or a boss tells them what to do, which is why softer suggestions such as 〜てはいかがですか exist.
A closer look
Advice, duty and expectation
English "should" carries three different meanings, and each has its own Japanese pattern. Advice — what would be good for you — is たほうがいい. Duty — what a rule or a situation demands — is なければならない: 薬は毎日飲まなければならない.
Expectation — what ought to be the case — is はず: 荷物は明日届くはずです, "the parcel should arrive tomorrow". Translating every "should" as ほうがいい turns predictions into advice: 届いたほうがいい would tell the parcel what to do.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
-
two general options are compared rather than advice given
the dictionary form is normal: 電車で行くほうが早い, "going by train is quicker".
自分で作るほうが安いです。Making it yourself is cheaper.
With an adjective other than いい, ほう is simply one side of a comparison, as in 〜より〜のほうが, and the verb stays in its plain present.
Worth knowing (1)
-
Softening with と思います
Advice on its own can sound like an instruction. Adding と思います presents it as an opinion, and んじゃないですか as a gentle question. Both are common when the listener is not a close friend.
もう少し待ったほうがいいと思います。I think it would be better to wait a little longer.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 104 · In case of: ばあい(は)Back to the learning path