Translation guide
Expresses a tendency or susceptibility, often negative. Japanese uses various suffixes, verbs, and patterns depending on whether the tendency is habitual, emotional, physical, or accidental.
Describing someone or something that tends to do or experience something undesirable.
Attaches to verb stems or nouns to indicate a tendency, often negative. Common in spoken and written Japanese.
彼は忘れがちだ。
He is prone to forgetting.
この天気は曇りがちだ。
This weather is prone to being cloudy.
Attaches to verb stems to mean 'easy to do' or 'prone to happening'. Can be used for both positive and negative tendencies.
このガラスは割れやすい。
This glass is prone to breaking.
Attaches to nouns or verb stems to indicate a tendency or characteristic, often with a nuance of 'easily' or 'somewhat'. Can be negative or neutral.
彼は怒りっぽい。
He is prone to anger.
この子は飽きっぽい。
This child is prone to getting bored.
Describing a physical condition or illness one is likely to get.
Used with verbs like かかる (to catch an illness) or なる (to become).
冬は風邪をひきやすい。
I am prone to catching colds in winter.
彼女は肌が荒れやすい。
She is prone to skin problems.
Can be used for recurring health issues, but 〜やすい is more common for physical susceptibility.
彼は病気がちだ。
He is prone to illness.
Describing things that happen accidentally or unintentionally.
Expresses that something happens unintentionally or regrettably. Often used with 'つい' (unintentionally).
つい食べ過ぎてしまう。
I am prone to overeating.
彼はよく物をなくしちゃう。
He is prone to losing things.
Also used for accidental tendencies, especially with verbs like 忘れる (forget) or 遅れる (be late).
彼は遅れがちだ。
He is prone to being late.
Describing a person's emotional reactions or personality traits.
Common for personality traits like being quick to anger, cry, or get bored.
彼女は泣きっぽい。
She is prone to crying.
Used for emotional states one tends to fall into, like depression or worry.
彼は落ち込みがちだ。
He is prone to depression.
〜がち implies a negative tendency that occurs frequently. 〜やすい means 'easy to' and can be positive or negative. 〜っぽい indicates a characteristic or tendency, often with a nuance of 'easily' and is more colloquial.
忘れがち (tend to forget) vs 忘れやすい (easy to forget) vs 忘れっぽい (forgetful)
忘れがち (tend to forget) vs 忘れやすい (easy to forget) vs 忘れっぽい (forgetful)
Do not directly translate 'prone to' as a single word. Use the appropriate suffix or pattern based on context. 'Prone to' is not a single adjective in Japanese.
彼は忘れがちだ。
He is prone to forgetting.