Learning Japanese often means discovering subtle ways to express your feelings. One very common expression is ～ばよかった, which is used to say “I wish I had…” or “I should have…”. This grammar point is especially useful when you want to talk about regret or something you wish you had done differently.

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The Meaning of ～ばよかった

The phrase ～ばよかった is built from:

• The conditional form (～ば) of a verb
• The word よかった (the past tense of “good”)

Together, it literally means “If I had done X, it would have been good.”
In natural English, this becomes “I wish I had done X” or “I should have done X.”

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How to Form ～ばよかった

1. Take the conditional ～ば form of a verb.
2. Add よかった.

Examples:

• 行いく → 行いけば → 行いけばよかった
  (I wish I had gone.)
• 勉強べんきょうする → 勉強べんきょうすれば → 勉強べんきょうすればよかった
  (I should have studied.)
• 買かう → 買かえば → 買かえばよかった
  (I wish I had bought it.)

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Using Negative Verbs

You can also express regret about doing something by making it negative.

• 行いかない → 行いかなければ → 行いかなければよかった
  (I wish I hadn’t gone.)
• 食たべない → 食たべなければ → 食たべなければよかった
  (I shouldn’t have eaten it.)

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Summary Chart

Affirmative (I wish I had / I should have)

Verb	Conditional Form	～ばよかった	Meaning
行いく (to go)	行いけば	行いけばよかった	I wish I had gone / I should have gone
食たべる (to eat)	食たべれば	食たべればよかった	I wish I had eaten / I should have eaten
勉強べんきょうする (to study)	勉強べんきょうすれば	勉強べんきょうすればよかった	I should have studied
買かう (to buy)	買かえば	買かえばよかった	I wish I had bought it

Negative (I wish I hadn’t / I shouldn’t have)

Verb	Conditional Form	～なければよかった	Meaning
行いかない (not go)	行いかなければ	行いかなければよかった	I wish I hadn’t gone
食たべない (not eat)	食たべなければ	食たべなければよかった	I wish I hadn’t eaten
買かわない (not buy)	買かわなければ	買かわなければよかった	I wish I hadn’t bought it

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Example Sentences

Here are some natural situations:

• 昨日きのうのパーティーに行いけばよかった。
  I wish I had gone to yesterday’s party.
• あの映画えいがを見みればよかった。
  I should have watched that movie.
• 高たかい靴くつを買かわなければよかった。
  I wish I hadn’t bought those expensive shoes.
• もっと早はやく寝ねればよかった。
  I should have gone to bed earlier.

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Why This Expression Is Useful

Japanese often uses indirect and softer ways to express emotions. Saying ～ばよかった lets you show regret without sounding too harsh. It’s also one of the most natural ways to talk about mistakes or missed opportunities in daily life.

Quick Practice

Try completing these sentences:

1. 日本にほんに行いったとき、もっと写真しゃしんを＿＿＿＿ばよかった。
   (When I went to Japan, I wish I had taken more photos.)
2. 昨日きのうのテストの前まえに、もっと勉強べんきょう＿＿＿＿ばよかった。
   (Before yesterday’s test, I should have studied more.)
3. このケーキを全部ぜんぶ＿＿＿＿なければよかった。
   (I wish I hadn’t eaten all this cake.)

Final Thoughts

The phrase ～ばよかった is an essential tool for expressing regret or missed chances in Japanese. Once you get used to forming the ～ば conditional, it becomes easy to use in daily conversation. Next time you feel like saying “I wish I had…” in Japanese, try practicing with ～ばよかった!

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