Grammar Info
N3 Lesson 10: 7/20

がち
apt to do, tend to do, prone to do

Structure
Verb[ます+ がち
Noun + がち
Noun (1) + がち + (2) + Noun


(1) Verb[ます
(2)
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
勝ち
Information
がち is a suffix in Japanese that will be used after nouns, or the 連用形(れんようけい) (conjunctive form) of verbs. It conveys that someone is ‘apt to (A)’, ‘tends to (A)’, or ‘is prone to (A)’. Although not always negative, がち is most frequently used to express negative tendencies.
  • ここ来(く)るいつもパフェ頼(たの)みがちだけど、今日(きょう)はパンケーキ頼(たの)む。
    When I come here I always tend to order parfait, but today I am getting a pancake.
  • うち子(こ)は病気(びょうき)がちので、週(しゅう)二(に)、三(さん)日(にち)ぐらいは学校(がっこう)休(やす)みます。
    My son tends to get sick a lot, so he will take 2 to 3 days off of school.
  • サボりがちな人(ひと)はだいたい成績(せいせき)悪(わる)い。
    People who tend to skip school usually have bad grades.
Fun Fact
がち as a grammar structure comes from the word 勝(が)ち, meaning ‘a win’. 勝(が)ち in itself is used to express something that appears ‘repeatedly’, or ‘again and again’. Due to this, がち may be thought of as similar to ‘to win out’ in English, meaning that ‘although there are many possibilities, (A) winning out is the most likely’. This ‘winning out’ may be due to preference, or sheer good/bad luck.
  • 暇(ひま)なときはテレビ見(み)がちだけど、忙(いそが)しい時(とき)全然(ぜんぜん)見(み)ない
    Watching TV wins out when I am bored, but when I am busy I don't watch it at all.
  • 俺(おれ)回(まわ)す当(あ)たりがちから、俺(おれ)やらせてみろ。
    Hitting the jackpot wins out when I spin it, so why don't you let me do it.
  • 釣(つ)れないことはありがちから、落(お)ち込(こ)まなくてもいいよ。そういう日(ひ)もある
    Times that you cannot catch anything often win out, so don't be so upset. It happens.
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私(わたし)の息子(むすこ)は病気(びょうき)がちだ。
My boy is apt to get sick.
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サボりがち生徒(せいと)家(いえ)まで迎(むか)えに行(い)って、学校(がっこう)へ連(つ)れてきた。
I went to the house of the student who tends to skip school, and brought him back.
がち can take either な or の when modifying nouns, so がちの生徒 is also OK. Though な is used more often nowadays.
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あの人(ひと)はすぐ、痩(や)せることを諦(あきら)めがちだ。
That person is prone to quickly give up on losing weight.
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Books
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 328
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 230