Grammar Info
N4 Lesson 1: 2/18

~易(やす)い
Easy to, Likely to

Structure
Casual
Polite
Verb[ます+ やすい
Verb[ます+ やすい + です
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
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.
  • 私(わたし)食(た)べやすいサイズステーキ切(き)
    I will cut the steak into a size that's easy to eat.
  • この漫画(まんが)フリガナついていから読(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.
  • あの先輩(せんぱい)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.
  • カスミちゃん 泣(な)きやすいから優(やさ)しく
    Kasumi is likely to cry, so please be nice to her. (Kasumi cries easily)
Caution
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.
Fun Fact
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).
  • 昨日(きのう)やすいゲーム買(か)っ
    The game that I bought yesterday was cheap. (安(やす)い meaning cheap, not 易(やす)い meaning easy)
  • 私(わたし)簡単(かんたん)ゲーム好(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)
Slow Male
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ケーキ作(つく)りやすい
Cake is easy to make.
東京(とうきょう)から大阪(おおさか)へ電車(でんしゃ)行(い)きやすいです
It is easy to go from Tokyo to Osaka by train!
今日(きょう)宿題(しゅくだい)少(すく)なかったのでやすかった
Since there was only a little homework today, it was easy to do.
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Books
Genki II 1st Edition
Page 163
Genki II 2nd Edition
Page 193
みんなの日本語 II
Page 120 [CH 44]
Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai
Page 114
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 1 & 541
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 275