易(やす)い is an
い-Adjective that is regularly seen attached to the ます stem of verbs (the form of a verb that can be used as a noun). When attached in this way, it carries the meaning of ‘easy to (A)’, where (A) is the verb that comes before
やすい.
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私(わたし)は食(た)べやすいサイズにステーキを切(き)る。
I will cut the steak into a size that's easy to eat.
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この漫画(まんが)にはフリガナがついているから読(よ)みやすいです。
Since this manga has furigana included, it’s easy to read.
Sometimes,
やすい has a translation that is a bit closer to ‘prone to (A)’, or ‘likely to (A)’ in English. This nuance is regularly seen when the verb is related to emotions.
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あの先輩(せんぱい)は怒(おこ)りやすいからめんどくさい。
That senpai is prone to getting angry, so he's annoying.
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カスミちゃんは
泣(な)きやすいから優(やさ)しくしてね。
Kasumi is likely to cry, so please be nice to her. (Kasumi cries easily)
There is another adjective 安(やす)い that has the meaning of ‘cheap’. This kanji should never be used with verbs to mean ‘easy’. Most of the time, やすい itself will be written in hiragana, and usage of 易(やす)い is quite limited.
Although
易(やす)い is an
い-Adjective, it is almost never used by itself (when not attached to verbs). In such cases, it is much more natural to use the
な-Adjective 簡単(かんたん).
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昨日(きのう)やすいゲームを買(か)った。
The game that I bought yesterday was cheap. (安(やす)い meaning cheap, not 易(やす)い meaning easy)
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私(わたし)は簡単(かんたん)なゲームが好(す)きです。
I enjoy easy games. (易(やす)い would not work here, as it is not usually used without a verb)