がち (gachi): Tending to happen repeatedly
～がち (gachi)
Meaning
Tend to; be prone to
Formation and usage
Verb masu-stem or noun + がち. Predicate: がちだ. Before a noun: がちな/がちの + noun.
Explanation
Describe a recurring tendency, usually an undesirable one. It can also follow nouns such as byouki and rusu. Unlike gimi, which often describes a slight current condition, gachi highlights a tendency or recurrence.
Examples
忙しいと、朝ご飯を抜きがちです。
When I am busy, I tend to skip breakfast.
冬は運動不足になりがちです。
In winter, people tend not to get enough exercise.
彼は出張が多くて、留守がちです。
He travels for work a lot and is often away from home.
この漢字は書き間違えがちなので、注意してください。
This kanji is easy to write incorrectly, so please be careful.
疲れていると、物事を悪く考えがちです。
When we are tired, we tend to see things negatively.
How related patterns differ
ばかり emphasizes only one thing or a repeatedly performed action. がち describes a tendency, while だらけ describes a state full of usually undesirable things. Their negative associations do not make them interchangeable.