ほうがいい— Had Better / Should

• すぐに病院へ行ったほうがいい。

  Sugu ni byouin e itta hou ga ii.

  You'd better go to the hospital right away.

  行った (go, ta-form) + ほうがいい — positive advice uses the た-form

• あの人には会わないほうがいい。

  Ano hito ni wa awanai hou ga ii.

  You'd better not meet that person.

  会わない (don't meet, nai-form) + ほうがいい — negative advice uses the nai-form

• 試験の前の日は、早く寝たほうがいい。

  Shiken no mae no hi wa, hayaku neta hou ga ii.

  You'd better go to bed early the day before an exam.

  寝た (sleep, ta-form) + ほうがいい — positive advice uses the た-form

• ・Form rule: positive advice takes the past た-form (行ったほうがいい); negative advice takes the plain nai-form (行かないほうがいい). • Stronger than English 'should' — it implies a real consequence if ignored, so use gently with superiors.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ほうがいい is tested against.

• たことがある — Have Done (Experience)
• つもりだ — Intention / Plan
• てほしい — Want someone (else) to do something
• だけで — Just by doing / With just
• ではないか / じゃないか — Isn't it? (rhetorical)
• が必要だ (がひつようだ) — Need / Necessary
• がする — Involuntary sense perception
• がり(屋) — Prone to feeling / Overly sensitive to (suffix)