Tends to (badly) 〜がち

Meaning

"Tends to ~", "is apt to ~" — nearly always about something unwanted.

Formation

[verb ます-stem] + がち · [noun] + がち

Notes

Behaves as a na-adjective: 遅れがちな電車. The negative colouring is what separates it from 〜やすい, which is neutral: 忘れがち ("prone to forgetting") versus 覚えやすい ("easy to remember"). 病気がち and 曇りがち are common set uses.

Examples

冬（ふゆ）は野菜（やさい）が不足（ふそく）しがちです。

In winter one tends to be short of vegetables.

Breakdown

ふゆ冬 winter ふそくしがち不足しがち tends to run short

彼（かれ）は最近（さいきん）休（やす）みがちです。

He has been off a lot recently.

Breakdown

さいきん最近 recently やすみがち休みがち tends to be absent

子供の頃（こどものころ）は病気（びょうき）がちでした。

I was a sickly child.

Breakdown

こどものころ子供の頃 childhood びょうきがち病気がち prone to illness

忙（いそが）しいと食事（しょくじ）が不規則（ふきそく）になりがちです。

When you are busy, meals tend to become irregular.

Breakdown

ふきそく不規則 irregular になりがち tends to become

明日（あした）は曇（くも）りがちの天気（てんき）でしょう。

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy.

Breakdown

くもりがち曇りがち tending to cloud てんき天気 weather

⚠️ Often confused with

〜っぽい

Somewhat / -ish 〜っぽい

Says something has the quality of ~ — "-ish", "looks like ~", "tends to ~".

〜気味

A touch of 〜気味

"A touch of ~", "slightly ~" — a mild sign of a condition, usually an unwelcome one.

〜かのように

As if 〜かのように

"As if ~" — a comparison to something that is not the case.