Mastering やすい (yasui): Easy to Do Things in Japanese (JLPT N4)

Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“Easy to do” or “prone to happen”

🎯 Primary Function

Indicates that an action is easy to perform, or that something is likely to become a certain way or happen.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb ます-stem + やすい

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in formal contexts, often when describing properties of objects or systems.

😊 Informal Situations

Very commonly used in everyday conversations.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently appears in written materials, especially descriptions or instructions.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Widely used in spoken Japanese.

💡 Common Applications

Describing object properties
Used to describe characteristics of things that make them easy to use, break, understand, etc.
Example: この本はとても読みやすいです。 (Kono hon wa totemo yomiyasui desu.) This book is very easy to read.
Describing actions
Used to describe actions that are simple or straightforward to perform.
Example: この道は駅まで歩きやすいです。 (Kono michi wa eki made arukiyasui desu.) This road is easy to walk to the station.
Describing tendencies
Can also indicate that something is prone to happening or becoming a certain way (though less common for N4).
Example: このコップは割れやすいです。 (Kono koppu wa wareyasui desu.) This glass is easy to break / prone to breaking.
📊
Frequency
Very common in daily conversation and descriptions.
🎚️
Difficulty
N4
Example Sentences
このパソコンは使いやすいです。
This computer is easy to use.
この日本語の本は分かりやすいですね。
This Japanese book is easy to understand, isn’t it?
冬は風邪を引きやすいです。
In winter, it is easy to catch a cold.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Attaches to the ます-stem
Always remove ます from the verb and attach やすい.
Example: 行きます (ikimasu) -> 行きやすい (ikiyasui)
Conjugates like an い-adjective
やすい conjugates like a regular い-adjective (-くない, -かった, -くなかった).
Example: 使いやすい (tsukaiyasui) -> 使いやすくない (tsukaiyasukunai) -> 使いやすかった (tsukaiyasukatta)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Attaching to the plain form
✅ Use the ます-stem, not dictionary form or plain form.
Incorrect: 使うやすい (tsukau yasui) -> Correct: 使いやすい (tsukaiyasui)
❌ undefined
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🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. Politeness depends on the final predicate (e.g., です/ます).
Social Situations: Used in various social settings, from casual chats to describing products or conditions.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations for this pattern.

🔍 Subtle Differences

やすい vs. しにくい (shinikui)
やすい means “easy to do”, while しにくい means “difficult to do” or “hard to do”. They are direct opposites.
When to use: Use やすい when the action is simple; use しにくい when it’s hard.
やすい vs. 簡単 (kantan)
簡単 (kantan) is a な-adjective meaning “simple” or “easy” in general. やすい is used with verbs to describe the ease of performing a specific action or a tendency.
When to use: Use 簡単 to describe the overall simplicity of a task or thing; use やすい to describe the ease of the *action* itself.
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When to use: undefined

📝 Conjugation Notes

やすい conjugates exactly like a regular い-adjective. Present Positive: verb ます-stem + やすい Present Negative: verb ます-stem + やすくない Past Positive: verb ます-stem + やすかった Past Negative: verb ます-stem + やすくなかった

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced like a regular い-adjective. “yasu-i”. No special intonation needed.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of it as “easy to do” + “i-adjective ending”. “Yasui” sounds a bit like “easy”, which might help you remember the meaning.

Practice Exercises
この靴はとても____です。 (These shoes are very easy to walk in.)
歩くやすい
歩きますやすい
歩きやすい
歩いたやすい
Which is the correct ます-stem form for 食べます (tabemasu)?
食べ
食べる
食べま
たべ
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