やすい

やすい means easy to do; prone to. It is a JLPT N4 Japanese grammar pattern used to express this idea in natural Japanese.

This English meaning is chosen independently from the source-list gloss so it stays natural, concise, and useful for learners searching for やすい.

What does やすい mean?

Use やすい when you want to express easy to do; prone to in a Japanese sentence.

Natural translations include:

• easy to do; prone to
• easy to do
• prone to

How to form やすい

Verb masu-stem + やすい

Examples of the pattern:

• Verb masu-stem + やすい
• やすい
• related form: にくい

When is やすい used?

Use やすい in situations like:

• reading or writing JLPT N4-level sentences
• making a sentence more precise than a basic N5 pattern
• recognizing natural grammar in conversation, signs, or short passages

Tone and register:

• usually neutral unless the pattern itself is casual, formal, or written
• common in JLPT N4 grammar study and everyday Japanese

やすい example sentences

• このペンは書きやすいです。 — This pen is easy to write with.
• このアプリは使いやすいです。 — This app is easy to use.
• 夏は食べ物が悪くなりやすいです。 — Food tends to go bad in summer.
• この道は歩きやすいです。 — This road is easy to walk on.
• 彼は緊張しやすいです。 — He tends to get nervous easily.

Nuance of やすい

The key nuance is easy to do; prone to in context, not a word-for-word English replacement.

This matters because やすい can express ability, comparison, intention, appearance, effort, or difficulty depending on the surrounding sentence. Read the whole sentence before choosing the English translation.

やすい vs にくい

Both patterns can appear in related sentences, but they do different jobs.

やすい:

• is the target JLPT N4 pattern in this lesson
• focuses on easy to do; prone to

にくい:

• is useful for comparison because learners often confuse nearby forms
• may change the tone, direction, evidence, or sentence focus

Quick contrast examples:

• Target pattern: このペンは書きやすいです。 — This pen is easy to write with.
• Related pattern with にくい: compare what changes in difficulty, comparison, intention, appearance, or certainty.

Common mistakes with やすい

Watch out for these mistakes:

• Copying a dictionary gloss without checking the sentence context
• Using the wrong verb, adjective, or noun form
• Confusing やすい with にくい because the English can sound similar

Is やすい on the JLPT?

Yes. やすい is connected to JLPT N4 grammar in this blog.

That means learners should be able to:

• recognize it in reading
• understand its nuance in context
• use it in simple original sentences

Practice questions for やすい

Try making your own sentences with these prompts:

• Write one short sentence using the basic structure.
• Replace the subject, time, or object and keep the same grammar point.
• Compare your sentence with the related pattern above.

Learning path for やすい

Use やすい as part of your JLPT N4 ability, possibility, and difficulty grammar toolkit. Focus on what やすい says about ability, possibility, ease, difficulty, or negation. Practice with both positive and negative verbs, because these patterns are often tested through small changes in verb form.

A good review order is: first make one short sentence with やすい, then compare it with にくい, and finally add づらい or ことができる to see how the nuance changes.

For practice, write one sentence that uses やすい in its most literal meaning, one sentence that changes the subject or time expression, and one sentence that contrasts it with one of the related patterns below.

Related grammar to review next

• にくい — strengthens the contrast between ability, ease, difficulty, and negation.
• づらい — strengthens the contrast between ability, ease, difficulty, and negation.
• ことができる — strengthens the contrast between ability, ease, difficulty, and negation.
• られる — strengthens the contrast between ability, ease, difficulty, and negation.

Learn やすい with Hane

If you want to review やすい together with the related patterns above, Hane helps you practice Japanese in short, focused sessions.

Browse more lessons here:

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