がり (gari) turns a feeling adjective into a word for a person who tends to feel that way. 寒い means “cold”; 寒がり is “someone who feels the cold easily.” It is a JLPT N4 pattern: 弟は寒がりです — “My little brother really feels the cold.”
English usually needs a whole phrase for this (“a scaredy-cat,” “someone who hates the heat,” “a shy person”), but Japanese just adds がり to the adjective stem. The result is a noun that describes a lasting personality trait, not how someone feels at this moment.
がり describes what someone is like, not what they are feeling right now. 寒がり is a person who is always cold, even when today is warm.
What does がり mean?
がり comes from the verb がる (“to show signs of feeling ~”). Take the verb’s stem and you get a noun: 寒がる → 寒がり. The meaning shifts from “is acting cold” to “is the kind of person who gets cold.”
- 寒がり — someone who feels the cold easily
- 暑がり — someone who can’t stand the heat
- 怖がり — someone who scares easily; a scaredy-cat
- 恥ずかしがり(屋) — a shy person
- 寂しがり(屋) — someone who gets lonely easily
- 痛がり — someone who makes a fuss about pain
Because がり words describe character, you can use them about yourself. That makes them different from がる, which you normally use only for other people: 私は寒がりです is perfectly natural.
How to form がり
Drop the final い of an い-adjective and add がり. The result is a noun, so it takes だ／です, の, or な before another noun.
| Adjective | がり noun | As a description |
|---|---|---|
| 寒い | 寒がり | 寒がりな人／寒がりの人 |
| 暑い | 暑がり | 父は暑がりです |
| 怖い | 怖がり | 怖がりな子ども |
| 恥ずかしい | 恥ずかしがり屋 | 恥ずかしがり屋の妹 |
| 寂しい | 寂しがり屋 | 寂しがり屋の犬 |
Two practical notes:
- 屋 (や) is often added to 恥ずかしがり and 寂しがり to mean “a ~ type of person.” 恥ずかしがり屋 and 寂しがり屋 are the forms you will hear most. 寒がり屋 is rare; plain 寒がり is normal.
- The set is fixed. You can’t attach がり to any adjective and expect a real word. 楽しがり or 高がり are not words. Learn the common ones as vocabulary.
You will also meet がり words built from verbs with たい: 知りたがり(屋) (“a nosy person”) and 目立ちたがり屋 (“a show-off”). These come from たがる.
When is がり used?
- Describing family and friends: 母は寒がりで、夏でも靴下をはいています.
- Explaining your own habits: 私は暑がりなので、エアコンを強くしてもいいですか.
- Describing children and pets: 怖がり and 寂しがり屋 are very common for kids and dogs.
- Self-introductions: 恥ずかしがり屋ですが、よろしくお願いします is a common, modest opening.
がり words are everyday, conversational vocabulary. They are mildly teasing when used about others, similar to “scaredy-cat” or “softie,” but not rude.
がり example sentences
私は寒がりなので、夏でもカーディガンを持ち歩いています。
I always feel cold, so I carry a cardigan even in summer.
父は暑がりで、冬でも半袖で寝ています。
My dad can’t stand the heat; he sleeps in short sleeves even in winter.
娘は怖がりだから、夜は一人でトイレに行けない。
My daughter scares easily, so she can’t go to the toilet alone at night.
妹は恥ずかしがり屋で、知らない人とあまり話しません。
My little sister is shy and doesn’t talk much with people she doesn’t know.
うちの犬は寂しがり屋で、一人にするとずっと鳴いている。
Our dog hates being alone; if we leave him, he cries the whole time.
寒がりの人には、この部屋は少し寒いかもしれません。
This room might be a bit cold for people who feel the cold.
In every sentence the がり word describes what the person is generally like. Example 2 makes the point well: it is winter, but Dad is still a 暑がり.
Nuance of がり
The shift from がる to がり is a shift from behaviour to character. 弟が寒がっている reports what you can see right now: your brother is shivering or complaining. 弟は寒がりだ is a general statement about him, true in any season.
That is also why がり works for yourself. With がる, you are describing someone’s outward signs of a feeling from the outside, which is odd for your own feelings. With がり, you are simply stating a known trait, and anyone can state their own traits.
がり words can carry a light judgement. Calling an adult 怖がり or 痛がり suggests they overreact a little. 強がり (from 強い) is a special case: it means pretending to be tough, and 強がりを言う means “to put on a brave face.”
Don’t use it for the weather: 寒がり is about a person, never about the day. If you feel cold today, say 今日は寒いです, not 今日は寒がりです.
がり vs がっている
Both come from the same verb, and both are built on a feeling adjective. The question is whether you are describing a lasting trait or a current, visible reaction.
A mother might say 寒がりの子だから、上着を持っていって — a general reason — but at the bus stop she notices 寒がっているね — a present observation. For the full verb pattern, see がる / がっている.
Common mistakes with がり
Remove the い before adding がり. がり attaches to the stem, just like がる and そう.
がり describes a person’s nature, not today’s temperature or how you feel at the moment.
For your own feelings, use the plain adjective (寒い) for right now, or がり for your general nature. がっている describes other people.
Is がり on the JLPT?
Yes, mostly as vocabulary. 寒がり, 暑がり, 怖がり and 恥ずかしがり屋 appear in N4 reading and listening, usually when someone describes a family member or explains a habit.
At N4 you should be able to:
- Recognise 寒がり, 暑がり, 怖がり, 恥ずかしがり屋 and 寂しがり屋
- Understand that がり describes a lasting trait, not a feeling right now
- Tell 寒がりです apart from 寒がっています in context
A common listening setup: a speaker says 私、暑がりなんです and then asks to open a window. The question tests whether you understood why.
Practice questions for がり
Show answer
母は寒がりなので、いつもマフラーをしています。 — My mother feels the cold easily, so she always wears a scarf.
Show answer
恥ずかしがり屋ですが、よろしくお願いします。 — I’m a bit shy, but it’s nice to meet you.
Show answer
うちの子は怖がりなので、ホラー映画は見ません。 — Our kid scares easily, so we don’t watch horror films.
Show answer
私は暑がりなので、窓を開けてもいいですか。 — I get hot easily, so may I open the window?
Learning path for がり
Related grammar to review next
- がる / がっている — the verb behind がり, for someone’s feelings as they show on the outside right now.
- たがる — “someone wants to,” the source of 知りたがり and 目立ちたがり屋.
- さ — another adjective-to-noun suffix, naming the quality itself (寒さ, 暑さ).
- そうだ (appearance) — “looks ~,” a third pattern that attaches to the same adjective stem.
Learn がり with Hane
Hane teaches 寒がり, 怖がり and 恥ずかしがり屋 as vocabulary and quizzes them against がっている, so you pick trait versus reaction correctly. Start practising in Hane.
FAQ about がり
What does がり (gari) mean in Japanese?
がり (gari) means “tends to feel or act that way”. It is JLPT N4 grammar. がり comes from the verb がる (“to show signs of feeling ~”). Take the verb’s stem and you get a noun: 寒がる → 寒がり. The meaning shifts from “is acting cold” to “is the kind of person who gets cold.
How do you form がり (gari)?
Drop the final い of an い-adjective and add がり. The result is a noun, so it takes だ／です, の, or な before another noun.
What is the difference between がり and がっている?
がり: a personality trait. がっている: signs of a feeling now.
What is an example sentence with がり (gari)?
私は寒がりなので、夏でもカーディガンを持ち歩いています。 — I always feel cold, so I carry a cardigan even in summer.