We met the character 方 when the verb stem was used to say “way” or “method” of doing something (see here). One of its other uses when paired with より is to make comparison sentences, the basic structure of which is as follows:

【A】より【B】のほうが【Adjective】
冬よりなつの方があついです。
Summer is hotter than winter.
いぬよりくまのほうがおおきいです。
Bears are bigger than dogs.

Often only hiragana is used for 方.

【A】するより【B】したほうが【Adjective】

We need the dictionary form for the first verb and the standard simple past tense for the second.

くるまくより、電車でんしゃったほうがはやいです。
It’s faster to ride the train rather than go by car.

Putting the final adjective as “good” the structure gives us a logical way of making a suggestion

A をしたほうがいいです。
You should do A.
やらないで後悔こうかいするより、やって後悔こうかいしたほうがいい。
It’s better to do something and regret it than regret not doing it.

やる is a more colloquial form of する.

In fact, as in English, the first clause is usually omitted because it’s obvious from the context.

勉強べんきょうしないより、勉強べんきょうしたほうがいいです。
You should study rather than not studying.
勉強べんきょうしたほうがいいです。
You should study.

も is sometimes added to より but the meaning is exactly the same. The use of も is slightly more literary.

みせうよりも、オンラインでったほうがやすいです。
It’s cheaper to buy online rather than in the shop.
出発時間しゅっぱつじかんがわからなかったら、確認かくにんしたほうがいいです。
If you don’t know the departure time you should check it.

To make a suggestion in the negative we use the negative tense instead of the simple past.

【A】しないほうが【Adjective】
彼女かのじょがまだおこっているから、いまはなさないほうがいいとおもいますよ。
She’s still mad so I wouldn’t speak with her now.
毎日まいにちさけまないほうがいいとおもいます。
I think it’s best you don’t drink every day.

In all the example sentences above we end with an adjective. In fact, we can form more complex sentences by replacing the adjective with another clause.

日本人にほんじん友達ともだちつくったほうが、はや日本語にほんごまなべます。
You can learn Japanese quicker if you go drinking with Japanese.
事前じぜん準備じゅんびしたほうが当日とうじつ安心あんしんできる。
You can better relax on the day if you prepare beforehand.
You May Also Like

Japanese Grammar: Causative-Passive Verbs

You’re probably thinking, “What the hell the causative-passive?” All I mean by this are verb structures that combine…

Must & Must Not

The most standard way of saying “to have to” in Japanese is to say, “if you don’t do…

Creating Partial Lists (や, など, とか)

We know we can connect nouns with the と particle like so: 野菜やさいと 魚さかなと 牛乳ぎゅうにゅうと 水みず。 Vegetables and fish and milk…

Dependency

JLPT N3. Used in both conversation and writing depending on the usage. よる is a grammatically versatile verb…