〜がち

Tend To/prone to

Level 3Sounds Like gachi

Use 〜がち to talk about things that happen often or easily, usually when those things are negative habits, flaws, or unfavorable conditions like bad weather.

How It Works

The grammar pattern 〜がち is used to point out a recurring trend or a frequent occurrence that is generally viewed as a negative trait or an unwanted situation.

1. Formation:

  • Verbs: Use the ます form stem + がち (e.g., 忘れ + がち = 忘れがち).
  • Nouns: Attach directly to the noun (e.g., 留守 + がち = 留守がち).

2. Nuance:
Unlike neutral expressions for 'often,' 〜がち almost always carries a critical or regretful tone. It is used for things like forgetting, being late, getting sick, or bad weather. A notable exception is ありがち, which means 'common' or 'cliché' and can be used more neutrally.

3. Grammatical Use:
Because it functions as a な-adjective, you can use it to modify nouns (〜がちな人) or end a sentence (〜がちだ / 〜がちです).

Examples (5)

  1. 一人暮らしだと、野菜が不足しがちだ。

    When living alone, one tends to lack vegetables in their diet.

    Word by Word: One-person living if, vegetables (subject) insufficiency tend to be.

    Uses the stem of 不足する（ふそくする - to be insufficient） to show a common negative health trend.

  2. 最近、彼は学校を休みがちだ。

    Lately, he has been prone to missing school.

    Word by Word: Recently, he (topic) school (object) rest/absent tend to be.

    Uses the stem of 休む（やすむ - to rest/be absent） to describe a recurring negative habit.

  3. 初心者にありがちなミスですね。

    That is a mistake common to beginners.

    Word by Word: Beginner to exist-tend-to mistake is, isn't it?

    ありがち is a very common set phrase meaning 'typical' or 'frequent occurrence.'

  4. この季節は曇りがちの日が多い。

    This season has many days that tend to be cloudy.

    Word by Word: This season (topic) cloudy-tend-to (possessive) days (subject) many.

    Here, がち attaches directly to the noun 曇り（くもり - cloudiness） to describe weather patterns.

  5. 若い時は無理をしがちです。

    When we are young, we tend to overdo things.

    Word by Word: Young time (topic) overdoing (object) do-tend-to is.

    Uses the stem of する to describe a common human weakness.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 〜がち for positive tendencies.

    彼はいつも親切にしがちだ。
    彼はいつも親切にしてくれる。

    〜がち is for negative or undesirable traits. Being kind is positive, so using 〜がち sounds like you are criticizing his kindness as a flaw.

  • Attaching 〜がち to adjectives.

    最近忙しいがちです。
    最近忙しくなりがちです。

    〜がち cannot attach to adjectives directly. You must use a verb like なる（なる - to become） and attach it to the stem: なり + がち.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

〜がちLevel 3Tend To/prone to

Learn This First

To use 〜がち, you must first know how to derive the verb stem from the ます-form. Additionally, because the resulting phrase behaves like a な-adjective, you need to understand how to use な-adjectives to modify nouns or end sentences.

Words in This Pattern