ほうがいい vs. からいい

[thegooseking]

みなさん、こんにちは、

I was listening to Beginner season 2 episode 55, which introduced the grammar point [past verb]+ほうがいい to suggest that someone should do something. Although it wasn't mentioned in the lesson, from what I understand, we use the [past verb]+ほうがいい to suggest that someone should do something in the current situation or for a particular reason, and [dictionary form verb]+ほうがいい to say that it's generally better to do something, without having such a strong sense of suggestion that it should be done.

Anyway, I was also watching an episode of 銀魂 (I think it was 193 - 「料理は根性」) and Shinpachi said this:-
神楽ちゃん、たしかに卵かけご飯をおいしいけど。でも毎日じゃきついよ。あれはたまに食べるからいいんだよ。
Kagura-chan, tashika ni tamagokakegohan wo oishii kedo. Demo mainichi ja kitsui yo. Are wa tama ni taberu kara ii n da yo.
Kagura-chan, it's true tamagokakegohan is delicious, but every day is too much. It's better to eat that once in a while.

So my question is, what's the difference between ほうがいい and からいい in this sense?

よろしくおねがいします、
小狼

[jim.schuler]

Seems like the difference is the same as it is in your translation: "it's better/good" versus "you should." からいい sounds much more indirect than ほうがいい in that it doesn't reference the person you are talking to at all, making it a more general statement.

[poyo1107]

I'd say "kara ii" means "it's good because...", "hou ga ii" means "it's better (to)...".
So there is a pretty big difference in meaning and usage in my opinion.

The meaning of the last sentence should be "It's (so) good because you eat it only once in a while".

[community.japanese]

小狼さん、jim.schuler san, poyo1107 san,
Konnichiwa.
I agree with poyo1107.
ほうがいい means ‘should’ or ‘had better’ or ‘might as well’ or ‘it might be a good idea to’ and so on.
On the other hand, から from からいい means ‘because’ so the whole meaning is ‘it is good because…’
Yuki 由紀
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