sohu ha, sasimi yori pura no hou ga tabeyasui to yoku iimasu.

は marks 祖父 as the topic of the sentence: As for my grandfather, ...

The sentence is not mainly introducing who says this; it is talking about what my grandfather often says. So は is the natural choice.

If you used 祖父が, it would sound more like you were specifically identifying my grandfather as the one who says it, possibly in contrast to someone else.

This is a very common comparison pattern:

• A より B のほうが ...
• B is more ... than A

So here:

• 刺身より = than sashimi
• 天ぷらのほうが = tempura is the one that...
• 食べやすい = easy to eat

Together, it means:

• Tempura is easier to eat than sashimi

A key point: より marks the standard of comparison, and のほうが highlights the side being favored or chosen in the comparison.

Yes, ほう literally has the idea of side or direction, but in comparisons it usually works more naturally as:

• the one that is more...
• rather
• the ... side

So 天ぷらのほうが食べやすい is basically:

• Tempura is the easier one to eat
• or in natural English, Tempura is easier to eat

You do not need to translate のほう literally every time. In comparison grammar, it is mostly a structural element.

Because 天ぷらのほう is the subject of the adjective 食べやすい within the comparison.

In other words, the sentence is saying:

• As for tempura, it is easier to eat

So:

• 刺身より = than sashimi
• 天ぷらのほうが = tempura is the one that
• 食べやすい = is easy to eat

This is why が appears there even though the whole sentence topic is already marked by 祖父は. Japanese often has a topic for the whole sentence and a separate subject inside the statement.

食べやすい means easy to eat.

It is made from:

• 食べる = to eat
• やすい = easy to do

So:

• 食べやすい = easy to eat
• 飲みやすい = easy to drink
• 読みやすい = easy to read

This pattern is very common in Japanese:

• verb stem + やすい

For 食べる, the stem is 食べ-, so:

• 食べ + やすい = 食べやすい

Because やすい attaches to the verb stem, not the dictionary form.

Examples:

• 食べる → 食べやすい
• 飲む → 飲みやすい
• 使う → 使いやすい
• 書く → 書きやすい

So 食べるやすい is not correct Japanese.

Here と marks the content of what is being said.

So the part before と is the quoted statement:

• 刺身より天ぷらのほうが食べやすい

Then:

• と言います = says that ...

So the whole sentence is:

• My grandfather often says that tempura is easier to eat than sashimi.

This と is very commonly used with verbs like:

• 言う = say
• 思う = think
• 聞く = ask/hear

Grammatically, Japanese uses と for both kinds of reported content, so it can look like a quote even when English would prefer that.

Here, in natural English, it is best understood as indirect speech:

• My grandfather often says that tempura is easier to eat than sashimi.

It does not necessarily mean he always says those exact words. It can simply report the content of what he says.

よく means often, and it modifies the verb 言います.

So:

• よく言います = often says

Adverbs in Japanese are often placed before the word they modify, especially before verbs.

You could think of the structure as:

• Grandfather, [tempura is easier to eat than sashimi], often says

No, here よく means often.

That is because it is used with 言います in a way that expresses frequency:

• よく言います = says often

よく can also mean well, depending on context, as in:

• 日本語をよく話す = speak Japanese well

So the meaning of よく depends on context, but in this sentence often is the natural reading.

Japanese often leaves out possessive words like my when the relationship is obvious from context.

So 祖父 can mean:

• my grandfather
• grandfather

Depending on context, English usually needs my, but Japanese often does not.

This is very normal with family terms:

• 母 = my mother / mother
• 父 = my father / father
• 祖父 = my grandfather / grandfather

By itself, 祖父 is the formal word for grandfather, and in context it often refers to my grandfather.

However, when talking about someone else’s grandfather, Japanese often uses a more polite form such as おじいさん depending on the situation.

So in this sentence, 祖父 most naturally means my grandfather.

Because より itself is the particle here.

In comparisons, より attaches directly to the noun:

• 刺身より = than sashimi
• これより = than this
• 昨日より = than yesterday

You do not add another particle like は or が there in this basic pattern.

Yes. You could say:

• 刺身よりも天ぷらのほうが食べやすい

よりも is just a slightly more emphatic version of より. Both are correct.

The meaning does not change much:

• than sashimi, tempura is easier to eat

Because 言います is the polite form of 言う.

So the plain version would be:

• 祖父は、刺身より天ぷらのほうが食べやすいとよく言う。

The sentence you were given uses polite style, which is common in textbooks and general conversation when speaking politely.

Yes, in natural Japanese, some parts might be omitted if the context is clear. For example:

• 祖父は、天ぷらのほうが食べやすいとよく言います。

This would still make sense if everyone already knows the comparison is with sashimi.

Japanese often omits information that is understood from context, but the full sentence is clearer for learners.

It is about the act of eating it.

So 天ぷらのほうが食べやすい does not mean tempura has an inherent personality of being easy; it means:

• tempura is easier for people to eat
• tempura is more manageable to eat

This is a very common nuance of verb stem + やすい:

• it describes how easy an action is to perform.

So here, the action is eating tempura.

A useful breakdown is:

• 祖父は = as for my grandfather
• 刺身より = than sashimi
• 天ぷらのほうが = tempura is the one that
• 食べやすい = is easier to eat
• と = that
• よく言います = often says

So the pattern is:

• Topic + quoted statement + と + speech verb

That is a very common Japanese structure.