がちtends to; often happens
Something often happens, or easily ends up happening, and mostly you'd rather it didn't: forgetting, running late, being ill. It is about what goes on over time, not one occasion.
verb stem
When things get busy, I tend to skip meals.
How to form it
Verb ます-stem + がち ／ Noun + がち
忘れます → 忘れがち, します → しがち. Only a few nouns, such as 病気, 留守 and 曇り. Then がちだ, がちになる, and before a noun がちな or がちの.
- Often with
- つい, どうしても, or a time or condition: 冬は, 忙しいと.
- Tone
- An observation or a mild warning, not an attack.
- Where you'll meet it
- Conversation and writing alike.
The words you will hear
ありがちcommon, all too familiar
This is a common mistake among beginners.
なりがちtends to get, tends to become
Just before a deadline, work tends to get sloppy.
思いがちapt to assume
We tend to assume that expensive things are good quality.
留守がちoften out, away a lot
My father travels a lot for work, so he is often away.
曇りがちmostly cloudy
Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy.
遠慮がちhesitant, holding back
She raised her hand hesitantly.
Not for a good habit
English "tends to" suits any habit. がち makes a good one sound like a problem.
Sounds odd: 彼女は
She tends to get good marks in tests.
People say いい点を取ることが多い.
気味 or がち?
The trains have been running a little late recently.
How things are lately: a little late.
Trains tend to run late on rainy days.
What happens again and again.
風邪気味 is a cold coming on. 病気がち is someone who is often ill.
忘れがち or 忘れっぽい?
My father tends to forget to take his medicine.
What keeps happening: one particular slip, again and again.
My father is forgetful.
What he is like: forgetful by nature. Casual.
Close neighbours
やすいN4
What a person or thing is like: it happens easily. がち says that it does keep happening.
I catch colds easily.
気味N3
After a noun or a verb stem: a touch of something, mostly unwelcome, that you feel or notice now or lately. 風邪気味, 疲れ気味, 太り気味.
When you feel a cold coming on, it's best to rest early.
っぽいN3
Casual, and often a criticism. After a noun or an adjective stem, "-ish", it has the feel of that thing: 子どもっぽい, 安っぽい, 黒っぽい, 熱っぽい. After a verb stem, "quick to": 忘れっぽい, 怒りっぽい.
The design of this watch looks a little cheap.
だらけN3
After a noun: covered in or full of something unwelcome that you can see or count. 泥だらけ, 傷だらけ, 間違いだらけ.
The shirt is covered in mud.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
寒い朝は、
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which sentence sounds natural?
Choose an answer to see why.
3Which one fits?
兄は
Choose an answer to see why.
More sentences
I tend to get ill at this time of year.
It is easy to end up short on vegetables while traveling.
In online meetings, people tend to hold back from speaking.
Please check in early with students who are often absent.
When deadlines pile up, I tend to forget the small checks.