〜がち vs 〜ぎみ: 'Tend To' / 'A Bit' (N3 Grammar)
What it means
〜がち describes a tendency — something that happens frequently or that you're prone to. The nuance is almost always negative: a habit, a weakness, or an unfortunate pattern.
〜ぎみ describes a slight degree — a little bit of something, a faint sign of it, "-ish." It's about a mild state you're in right now, not how often it occurs.
弟は学校を休みがちだ。
おとうとは がっこうを やすみがちだ。
My little brother tends to miss school a lot.
休みがち = a frequent tendency to be absent.
ヤッタンは少し疲れぎみだ。
ヤッタンは すこし つかれぎみだ。
Yattan is a little on the tired side.
疲れぎみ = slightly tired, just now.
冬は曇りがちな天気が続く。
ふゆは くもりがちな てんきが つづく。
In winter, cloudy-tending weather continues.
曇りがち = often cloudy; がちな + noun.
How to form it
Both attach to a noun or a verb's ます-stem, and both then behave like a noun / な-adjective (you can say がちだ, がちな + noun, ぎみだ, ぎみな + noun).
| Pattern | Attaches to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + がち | noun | 病気がち (prone to illness) |
| ます-stem + がち | drop ます | 忘れる → 忘れがち (tends to forget) |
| Noun + ぎみ | noun | 風邪ぎみ (a touch of a cold) |
| ます-stem + ぎみ | drop ます | 太る → 太りぎみ (a bit on the heavy side) |
| + な + noun | either | 遅れがちな電車 / 緊張ぎみな声 |
| + だ／です | either | 曇りがちだ / 疲れぎみです |
More examples
最近、ヤッタンは宿題を忘れがちです。
さいきん、ヤッタンは しゅくだいを わすれがちです。
Lately, Yattan tends to forget his homework.
忘れがち = a recurring habit.
このバスは朝、遅れがちだ。
このバスは あさ、おくれがちだ。
This bus tends to run late in the mornings.
遅れがち = often delayed.
モチは今日、緊張ぎみだった。
モチは きょう、きんちょうぎみだった。
Mochi was a bit nervous today.
緊張ぎみ = slightly tense, in this moment.
先生は最近、太りぎみだと笑っていた。
せんせいは さいきん、ふとりぎみだと わらっていた。
The teacher laughed that he'd gotten a little chubby lately.
太りぎみ = a slight degree, not a frequency.
がち vs ぎみ — the key contrast
The two feel similar because both soften a statement, but they measure different things:
- 〜がち answers how often? — a repeated tendency: 病気がちな子 ("a child who often gets sick"). It implies this happens again and again.
- 〜ぎみ answers how much? — a slight degree right now: 風邪ぎみ ("a bit of a cold"). It implies a small amount, a faint sign.
Compare the same root: 疲れがち = "tends to get tired easily" (a pattern over time), while 疲れぎみ = "a little tired" (your state at this moment). One is a habit; the other is a mild current condition.
If you mean a thing happens repeatedly, reach for がち. If you mean something is a touch / slightly true, reach for ぎみ. For a related "-ish / -like" feeling, see 〜っぽい, which marks resemblance rather than degree or frequency.
Common mistakes
- Using ぎみ for a frequency. "He often misses school" is a tendency, so it's 休みがち (✓), not 休みぎみ. ぎみ can't carry "again and again."
- Using がち for a slight degree. "I have a touch of a cold" is a mild state, so it's 風邪ぎみ (✓), not 風邪がち. (風邪がち would mean "prone to catching colds" — a different idea!)
- Forgetting they act like nouns/な-adjectives. Before a noun you need な: 曇りがちな空 (✓), not 曇りがち空. And the plain ending is がちだ / ぎみだ.
- Putting がち on a happy fact. がち leans negative. 元気がち is unnatural; for an upbeat tendency, just say よく〜する instead.
Quick recap
- 〜がち = a frequent tendency (how often), usually undesirable: 忘れがち, 曇りがち, 休みがち.
- 〜ぎみ = a slight degree right now (how much): 風邪ぎみ, 疲れぎみ, 太りぎみ.
- Both attach to a noun or ます-stem and then act like a noun / な-adjective (がちな, ぎみな, がちだ, ぎみだ).
- Same root, different meaning: 疲れがち (tends to tire) vs 疲れぎみ (a bit tired).
Your turn
Choose 〜がち (frequent tendency) or 〜ぎみ (slight degree).
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N3 〜がち／〜ぎみ drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the core difference between がち and ぎみ?
がち marks a frequent tendency (how often something happens), usually negative: 忘れがち ('tends to forget'). ぎみ marks a slight degree right now (how much): 疲れぎみ ('a little tired').
What do がち and ぎみ attach to?
Both attach to a noun or a verb's ます-stem: 病気がち, 忘れがち, 風邪ぎみ, 太りぎみ. After attaching, they behave like a noun or な-adjective.
How do I use them before a noun?
Add な: 曇りがちな天気 ('cloudy-tending weather'), 緊張ぎみな声 ('a slightly nervous voice'). The plain sentence-ending form is がちだ / ぎみだ.
Is がち always negative?
Almost always. It describes an unfortunate or undesirable tendency (忘れがち, 遅れがち, 休みがち). For a positive 'often does,' use よく〜する instead.