How to Say “You Should” in Japanese | Using V-ta / V-nai + hou ga ii desu（〜たほうがいいです）

level1 (N5)

Introduction

Want to say things like “You should sleep early,” “You should study more,” or “You shouldn’t lie” in Japanese?

To give advice or make soft suggestions, Japanese uses a very useful and polite expression:

V-た + ほうがいいです
= You should do (something)

And if you want to say “You shouldn’t…”, there’s a version for that too!

Let’s learn how to give advice naturally in Japanese using this common and practical grammar.

1. Basic Structure

Positive Advice

In Japanese, you can use V-た + ほうがいいです to express the idea that someone “should do” something. This is used when giving advice or making suggestions.

V-た + ほうがいいです
= You should do 〜

VerbExample
寝ねる (to sleep)寝たほうがいいです (You should sleep)
勉強べんきょうする (to study)勉強したほうがいいです (You should study)

Negative Advice

You can use this structure to give negative advice “you shouldn’t do”. To do this, use the short negative form of a verb, but in present tense.

V-ない + ほうがいいです
= You shouldn’t do 〜

VerbExample
飲のむ (to drink)飲のまないほうがいいです (You shouldn’t drink)
うそをつく (to lie)うそをつかないほうがいいです (You shouldn’t lie)

2. How to Conjugate

For “You should…”

To express “should do” using V-た + ほうがいいです, follow these steps:

  1. Change the verb to its past short form (Change verb to V-た form)
  2. Add ほうがいいです after the verb
VerbV-た formFull expression
食たべる (to eat)食べた食べたほうがいいです
行いく (to go)行った (NOT 行きた)行ったほうがいいです
練習れんしゅうする (to practice)練習した練習したほうがいいです

For “You shouldn’t…”

  1. Change verb to short negative form
  2. Add ほうがいいです
VerbNegative formFull expression
飲のむ (to drink)飲まない飲まないほうがいいです
忘わすれる (to forget)忘れない忘れないほうがいいです

3. Example Sentences

  • 来週らいしゅうテストがあります。もっと勉強べんきょうしたほうがいいですよ。
    = There is a test next week. You should study more.
  • 頭あたまが痛いたいなら、休やすんだほうがいいです。
    = If you have a headache, you should rest.
  • ここではたばこを吸すわないほうがいいですよ。
    = You shouldn’t smoke here.
  • お金かねを節約せつやくしたいなら、買かい物ものに行いかないほうがいいです。
    = If you want to save money, you shouldn’t go shopping.

4. Practice Time!

Change the following into “You should…” advice using 〜た／〜ないほうがいいです：

EnglishJapanese
You should eat breakfast.朝あさごはんを食たべたほうがいいです。
You shouldn’t lie.うそをつかないほうがいいです。
You shouldn’t drive.運転うんてんしないほうがいいです。
You should lose weight.ダイエットしたほうがいいです。

5. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Q
Can I use this to talk about myself?
A

Yes, but it’s more common to use it when giving advice to others.
Saying “～したほうがいい” sounds like you’re reminding yourself.

Q
What does “ほう” mean?
A

ほう（方）in ～ほうがいい literally means “direction” or “way,” so this structure implies: “This way (of doing) is better.”

Q
Can I drop です and make it more casual?
A

Yes! Example: この映画えいが、おもしろいから見みたほうがいいよ。= You should see this movie, it’s funny.

Q
How strong is this advice (〜たほうがいいです / 〜ないほうがいいです)? Is it a command?
A

It’s generally considered soft advice or a recommendation, not a strong command. The literal meaning “the way of doing X is better” implies suggesting a preferable course of action based on comparing options (doing vs. not doing). It’s much gentler than direct command forms (like 〜なさい or the て-form alone used as a command). However, context matters – said very sternly, any advice can feel strong!

Q
Is it okay to use 〜たほうがいいです when giving advice to a superior (like a boss or teacher)?
A

Use caution! While 〜たほうがいいです ends politely with です, giving direct advice up the social ladder (to bosses, teachers, elders, etc.), especially if unsolicited, can sound presumptuous or rude, like you’re telling them what’s best. For advising superiors, it’s usually much safer to use more indirect forms like:

  • 〜てはいかがですか (te wa ikaga desu ka): “How about doing…?” (Very polite suggestion)
  • 〜たらどうでしょうか (tara dou deshou ka): “What if you did…?” / “How about if you do…?” (Polite suggestion)
  • Or simply presenting information relevant to their decision. Save 〜たほうがいいです mostly for peers, juniors, or when specifically asked for your advice.
Q
Why does positive advice use the past tense V-た form (like 行ったほうがいい)? It feels strange for future actions.
A

That’s a very common question! The V-た form here doesn’t actually indicate past time. Think of it as creating a hypothetical situation for comparison: the speaker is comparing “[the state/result if you did the action]” versus “[the state/result if you didn’t do the action]” and concluding the former is better. So, 「行ったほうがいい」 implicitly compares “having gone” (行った) with “not having gone” and says the “having gone” scenario is better. It’s a specific grammatical pattern for this type of advice. For negative advice (“shouldn’t”), V-ない is used, focusing on the state of not doing the action.

Q
Can I use 〜ほうがいいですか？ as a question, and what does it usually mean?
A

Yes, you can form a question like 「〜たほうがいいですか？」 or 「〜ないほうがいいですか？」. When you do this, you are typically asking for advice for yourself, not giving it to someone else.

  • Example: 「薬を飲んだほうがいいですか？」 (Kusuri o nonda hou ga ii desu ka? – Should I take the medicine? / Is it better if I take the medicine?)
  • Example: 「この仕事、やめないほうがいいですかね？」 (Kono shigoto, yamenai hou ga ii desu ka ne? – Should I not quit this job? / Is it better if I don’t quit?)

6. Conclusion

Now you can give advice in Japanese using:

✅ V-たほうがいいです = You should
✅ V-ないほうがいいです = You shouldn’t
✅ Polite, soft ways to help others do the right thing

🎯 Practice: Write 3 things you would tell a friend to do or not do in Japanese!

Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations?

Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage.

Whether you’re completely new to Japanese or looking to refine your skills, book a one-on-one session.