Translation guide
The English phrase "tend to" expresses a general tendency or habitual pattern. In Japanese, this is most naturally conveyed through sentence-ending patterns like 〜がち, 〜傾向がある, and the auxiliary 〜やすい, depending on whether the tendency is negative, neutral, or based on inherent ease.
Expressing that something often happens and it's usually a bad thing, like a bad habit or frequent problem.
Attaches to the stem of a verb or a noun to indicate a tendency, often negative. Implies that the action or state occurs frequently, often with a nuance of being undesirable.
彼は遅刻しがちだ。
He tends to be late.
この時期は風邪をひきがちだ。
People tend to catch colds this time of year.
A more formal or written expression indicating a tendency, often with a critical nuance. Used for negative habits or characteristics.
彼は物事を大げさに言うきらいがある。
He tends to exaggerate things.
Describing a general trend or what usually happens, without strong positive or negative judgment.
A neutral, slightly formal pattern meaning "there is a tendency to." Used for objective descriptions of trends or habits.
若者はSNSをよく使う傾向がある。
Young people tend to use social media a lot.
最近の車は燃費が良い傾向がある。
Recent cars tend to have good fuel efficiency.
Literally "it is often the case that," this is a very common and natural way to express a tendency in everyday speech.
週末は家で過ごすことが多い。
I tend to spend weekends at home.
Used after verbs and adjectives to indicate a comparative tendency, like "more often than not" or "on the ... side."
私はどちらかと言うと家にいる方だ。
I tend to stay home, if anything.
Expressing that something is prone to happen because of its nature, or that it's easy for a certain result to occur.
Attached to the stem of a verb to mean "easy to do" or "prone to happening." Often implies an inherent property that makes the action likely.
このガラスは割れやすい。
This glass tends to break easily.
彼は緊張すると早口になりやすい。
He tends to speak quickly when nervous.
Also used for inherent tendencies, especially when the result is somewhat negative or undesirable. Overlaps with the negative tendency meaning.
この時計は遅れがちだ。
This watch tends to run slow.
Describing what someone usually does as a personal habit or custom.
Indicates a conscious decision to make something a habit. "I make it a rule to..." or "I tend to..." as a personal policy.
毎朝ジョギングをすることにしている。
I tend to go jogging every morning. (I make it a habit.)
Similar to ことにしている but softer, meaning "I try to..." or "I make an effort to..." implying a habitual effort.
野菜をたくさん食べるようにしている。
I tend to eat a lot of vegetables. (I try to make it a habit.)
〜がち is often used for negative or undesirable tendencies and can attach to nouns (e.g., 病気がち). 〜やすい focuses on the ease or inherent property leading to a tendency, and is neutral. 〜傾向がある is more formal and objective, suitable for describing statistical trends or general observations.
彼は忘れっぽいので、約束を忘れがちだ。
He's forgetful, so he tends to forget appointments. (negative nuance)
このスマホは落としやすいデザインだ。
This smartphone has a design that tends to be dropped easily. (inherent property)
高齢者はインターネットを使わない傾向がある。
Elderly people tend not to use the internet. (objective trend)
Do not try to translate "tend to" word-for-word. There is no single Japanese verb that covers all uses. Instead, choose the pattern that matches the nuance: negative habit (がち), general trend (傾向がある), ease (やすい), or personal habit (ことにしている).