kanojo ni totte mudana kaigi wa sukunai hou ga ii.

彼女かのじょ　に　とって　無駄むだな　会議かいぎ　は　少すくない　ほう　が　いい。kanojo ni totte mudana kaigi wa sukunai hou ga ii.
For her, the fewer pointless meetings the better.
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Questions & Answers about kanojo ni totte mudana kaigi wa sukunai hou ga ii.

What does the chunk にとって mean, and why is it used here?
にとって means “for; from the point of view of.” It marks whose perspective or standard a judgment is based on. Here it tells us the evaluation “fewer is better” is specifically from her standpoint: “For her, as for useless meetings, fewer is better.”
How is にとって different from similar expressions like には／からすると／としては?
  • にとって: “for (someone) in terms of value/judgment.” Common with words like 大切, 必要, いい, 悪い, 問題, 得, 損.
  • には: Topical “for someone/in someone’s case,” often about ability/suitability/affect. Ex: 彼女には難しい = “It’s hard for her (beyond her ability).”
  • からすると／からすれば: “judging from/if we go by” someone’s viewpoint or evidence.
  • としては: “as (in the role/capacity of).” Ex: 教師としては “as a teacher.” Not appropriate for a simple personal preference here.
Why is 会議 followed by は (topic) instead of が (subject)?
は sets up a topic/category: “As for useless meetings...” Then the comment about that topic is 少ないほうがいい. You could say 無駄な会議が少ないほうがいい, but using は makes it sound like a general principle about that category, and it also avoids clashing with the が inside ほうがいい.
What does the pattern ほうがいい mean, and how does it work with adjectives vs. verbs?

It means “it’s better (to...) / would be preferable.”

  • With adjectives: 安いほうがいい “cheaper is better,” 静かなほうがいい “it’s better if it’s quiet.”
  • With verbs (advice):
    • Affirmative: 行ったほうがいい “You should go.” (plain past)
    • Negative: 行かないほうがいい “You shouldn’t go.” (plain non-past negative)
How does 少ないほうがいい express “the fewer the better”? Where is the comparison?

The comparison is implicit. Japanese often omits the “than X” part when it’s obvious. You can make it explicit as:

  • 多いより(は)少ないほうがいい = “Rather than being many, fewer is better.”
Can I say 少なくていい or 少なければいい instead? What’s the nuance difference?
  • 少ないほうがいい: Clear preference/comparison; “fewer is better.”
  • 少なくていい: “It’s fine/acceptable if they’re few (enough).” Focus on sufficiency rather than a comparative preference.
  • 少なければいい: “As long as they’re few, it’s OK.” Conditional, weaker as a preference.
  • Stronger idiom: 少ないに越したことはない = “the fewer, the better (no question).”
Why is it 無駄な会議 and not 無駄の会議?
無駄 is a na‑adjective/noun. When it directly modifies a noun, use な: 無駄な会議. Using の would be ungrammatical here. Note a different pattern: 無駄のない会議 = “a meeting with no waste (efficient).”
Why is there a が in ほうがいい? Could I say ほうはいい?
ほうがいい is a set comparative pattern where が marks the thing judged to be good. ほうはいい is unusual and usually sounds contrastive or awkward. Stick with ほうがいい.
Can I add です (or だ) at the end?

Yes.

  • Casual: …少ないほうがいい。
  • Polite: …少ないほうがいいです。
  • More formal word choice: …少ないほうがよいです。 (written/formal; note the adjective is pronounced “ii” but often written 良い/よい)
Should it be 彼女にとっては instead of 彼女にとって? What’s the difference?

Both are fine.

  • 彼女にとって: neutral “for her.”
  • 彼女にとっては: adds topical/contrastive emphasis: “At least for her / speaking of her specifically...”
Are the spaces normal in Japanese? How do I read this sentence?

Spaces are not used in standard Japanese; they’re for learners. A natural written form is: 彼女にとって無駄な会議は少ない方がいい。 Readings: 彼女(かのじょ) にとって 無駄(むだ) な 会議(かいぎ) は 少(すく)ない 方(ほう) が いい.

Is 無駄な会議が少ないほうがいい also acceptable?
Grammatically yes. With が, you’re stating “It’s better that useless meetings are few” with “useless meetings” as the immediate subject. With は, you frame “(As for) useless meetings,” then comment on them. は sounds more like a general stance or principle here.
How can I state the explicit comparison using より?
  • 多いより(は)少ないほうがいい。 = “Rather than many, fewer is better.” You can also contrast two concrete options: 2時間の会議より(は)1時間の会議のほうがいい。
If I want to say “She should reduce (cut down) useless meetings,” how would I phrase it?

Use a verb:

  • 彼女にとって、無駄な会議は減らしたほうがいい。 = “She should reduce useless meetings.” Softer: …減らしたほうがいいと思う。 Stronger: …減らすべきだ。
Is using 彼女 natural? Do Japanese usually say “she”?

Japanese often avoid third-person pronouns in favor of names/titles. In real conversation you’d more likely hear something like:

  • 田中さんにとって、無駄な会議は少ないほうがいい。 or
  • 彼女 replaced by a role: 部長にとって…
What nuance does 無駄 have compared to words like 無意味 or 非効率?
  • 無駄: “wasteful,” not worth the time/effort/cost; common in work talk. 無駄な会議 = meetings that waste resources.
  • 無意味: “meaningless,” lacking purpose/meaning (stronger on “no point at all”).
  • 非効率: “inefficient,” poor efficiency; more technical/business-like.