N3Chapter 60Unit 5 · Written and Lexical Japanese

Degree, Comparison, and Tendencies

Learning objectives

  • Describe two quantities changing together.
  • Separate objective comparison from a one-direction trend.
  • Choose among repeated tendency, mild condition, and characteristic -ish quality.
N3 context
N3 descriptions often track change rather than state a simple comparison. They also distinguish what happens repeatedly, what is slightly present now, and what feels characteristic of a person or thing.
Vocabulary語彙
6 terms

  • 傾向

    noun

    けいこう

    tendency; trend

  • 割合

    noun

    わりあい

    proportion

  • 上昇

    noun

    じょうしょう

    rise; increase

  • 減少

    noun

    げんしょう

    decrease

  • 比較する

    verb

    ひかくする

    to compare

  • 不安定

    adj

    ふあんてい

    unstable

Pattern contrast使い分け

Static comparison or moving trend?

V-ばV-るほど

proportional

the more…, the more…

Two degrees change proportionally. Repeat the same verb or adjective in conditional and plain form.

使えば使うほど、便利さが分かる。

The more you use it, the more you understand its convenience.

Nに比べて

comparison

compared with

Establishes an explicit comparison standard.

去年に比べて、利用者が二割増えた。

Compared with last year, users increased by twenty per cent.

V-る一方だ

one-way trend

continue to; increasingly

A change keeps moving in one direction, frequently an undesirable one.

空き家は増える一方だ。

The number of vacant houses keeps increasing.
Pattern contrast使い分け

What kind of tendency?

stem + がち

recurring

tend to; frequently

A recurring, usually undesirable tendency. Often describes behaviour or repeated situations.

忙しいと、食事が不規則になりがちだ。

When busy, meals tend to become irregular.

stem／N + 気味

mild condition

slightly; showing signs of

A mild present condition or recent tendency, often physical or negative.

最近、少し疲れ気味です。

I have been feeling a little tired lately.

N／stem + っぽい

informal quality

-ish; prone to; characteristic

An informal perceived quality, appearance, or disposition.

この服は汚れっぽい色なので避けよう。

This colour looks as though it will show dirt easily, so I’ll avoid it.

がち and 気味 do not describe the same time scale

忘れがちだ describes repeated forgetting. 忘れ気味だ describes a recent or mild tendency. Choose according to whether the focus is recurrence or current condition.

Guided practice練習

Describe the comparison or tendency precisely.

  1. 1.The more you read, the faster you become.

  2. 2.Compared with the city, this town has lower rent.

  3. 3.You have been slightly feverish recently.
Reading practice読解

Changes in the town centre

survey commentary

Target: 4 minutes
十年前に比べて、駅前に住む若い人の割合が増えました。交通が便利になればなるほど、中心部の人気も高くなっています。一方で、昔からある店は減る一方です。新しい住民は地域の活動に参加する機会が少なく、近所との関係も弱くなりがちだという意見があります。しかし、最近は若い世代が運営する行事も増え気味で、変化を悪いことだけだと考えるべきではありません。
中心部（ちゅうしんぶ）
central area
運営する（うんえいする）
to operate; organise
  1. Which change is described as continuing in one direction?
  2. What mild recent tendency offers a more positive view?
Listening rehearsal聴解

A study tendency

Listen for recurrence and proportional improvement.

Listen before opening the transcript.
  1. What repeated habit changed, and what grew?
Key takeawaysまとめ
  • 1ば〜ほど links proportional change; に比べて supplies a comparison standard.
  • 2一方だ tracks a continuing one-direction change.
  • 3がち is recurring tendency, 気味 is a mild present condition, and っぽい is an informal characteristic quality.

Knowledge Check

Practice quiz
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練習すればする＿＿、上手になる。