modality N1 uncommon politewritten
〜きらいがある — tend to ~ / have a
〜きらいがある ・ きらいがある
Meaning
- have a (regrettable) tendency to ~ / be inclined to ~ — always a negative trait the speaker is criticizing
Key sentence
彼は物事を悲観的に考えるきらいがある。
He has a tendency to think about things pessimistically.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form) / Noun + の | V-る / Nの + きらいがある. Negative: 〜ないきらいがある. Often softened by 少し / とかく | 考えすぎるきらいがある / 独断のきらいがある |
When: Written/formal critique; the tendency is always presented as a fault.
Examples
現代人は運動不足になるきらいがある。
People today are inclined to get too little exercise.
彼女は何事も一人で抱え込むきらいがある。
She has a tendency to shoulder everything by herself.
When you can't use it
- Negative evaluation only — it cannot describe a good or neutral tendency: 成功するきらいがある ✗.
Easily confused with
〜がち がち also leans negative but covers casual, everyday recurrence (曇りがち); きらいがある is formal and strictly a character flaw or disposition of the subject. ともすれば ともすれば is an adverb that flags a tendency within a clause; きらいがある is a predicate that attributes the (bad) tendency to the subject as a trait. 〜やすい 〜やすい is neutral 'prone to / easy to' (壊れやすい); きらいがある is an evaluative character fault, never neutral.
See 〜きらいがある in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜きらいがある the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.