Skip to content
JLPT N4Expressions

ばよかった— I wish I had / Should have

Expresses regret that something was NOT done. "I should have done X / I wish I had done X." A counterfactual expression.

Grammar path · 練習

Practice this in the path

A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 89 · EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Verb ば-form] + よかった

Examples · 例文

  • 傘を持ってくればよかった。

    Kasa wo motte kureba yokatta.

    I should have brought an umbrella.

    持ってくれば + よかった = wish I had brought it

  • もっと早く来ればよかった。

    Motto hayaku kureba yokatta.

    I wish I had come earlier.

    来れば (くれば) + よかった = regret about not coming earlier

  • 学生のとき、もっと勉強すればよかった。

    Gakusei no toki, motto benkyou sureba yokatta.

    I should have studied more when I was a student.

    勉強すれば + よかった = regret about not studying more

Usage notes · 注意

  • Key Concept: ばよかった = regret over NOT doing (should have).
  • Detail: てよかった = relief over HAVING done (good thing I did).
  • Negative: しなければよかった = I wish I hadn't done it.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ばよかった is tested against.

vs〜てよかった

ばよかった = regret that you didn't do something; てよかった = relief/gladness that you DID do something (来てよかった = glad I came).

vs〜なければよかった

ばよかった regrets NOT doing X; なければよかった regrets HAVING done X ('I wish I hadn't ~').

More expressions

Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki

Everything on this page, ready to study

  • 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio (N5 free)
  • 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
  • 445 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
  • Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio (N5 sets 1 and 2 free)