Word Usage: ほがらかな vs 人懐っこい


I am doing some JLPT prep, and I'm struggling with the differences between
ほがらかな and 人懐っこい。

> 私は、誰にでも抱っこされる（ ）赤ちゃんだったらしい。
>
> **A** 「ほがらかな」 **B** 「人懐っこい」

The given correct answer is 人懐っこい which I can understand as _a
sociable/friendly baby anyone can hold_.

But I don't see how ほがらかな is a bad choice. _A cheerful/happy baby anyone can
hold_ seems fine to me...

Any hints?




Perhaps even without those options, many native speakers can instantly give
人懐っこい or 人見知り(を)しない as the most natural expression which fits in that blank.
人懐っこい is such a common adjective to describe a friendly baby who smiles
instead of crying when held by a stranger. 人懐っこい is also commonly used to
describe a friendly animal. This is a rather simple vocabulary question, so
you have to memorize it.

ほがらか doesn't match the definition in that sentence, and it's usually not used
to describe a baby whose personality is not formed yet. I feel someone who is
ほがらか is usually at least three years old. We don't use ほがらか to describe an
animal, either.




Perhaps even without those options, many native speakers can instantly give
人懐っこい or 人見知り(を)しない as the most natural expression which fits in that blank.
人懐っこい is such a common adjective to describe a friendly baby who smiles
instead of crying when held by a stranger. 人懐っこい is also commonly used to
describe a friendly animal. This is a rather simple vocabulary question, so
you have to memorize it.

ほがらか doesn't match the definition in that sentence, and it's usually not used
to describe a baby whose personality is not formed yet. I feel someone who is
ほがらか is usually at least three years old. We don't use ほがらか to describe an
animal, either.

