Japanese grammar
What does ～っぽい mean? Japanese grammar N2
～っぽい means seems like…; tends to be… (a leaning).
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N2 |
|---|---|
| Structure | N + っぽい Vます形 (drop ます) + っぽい い形 (drop い) + っぽい |
| Romaji | ppoi |
| Meaning | seems like…; tends to be… (a leaning) |
Forming it
| Noun | 子ども → 子どもっぽい |
|---|---|
| Verb | 忘れる → 忘れっぽい |
| Adjective | 安い → 安っぽい |
How to use it
Attaches to a noun or masu-stem to describe an outward appearance or a recurring tendency. Conversational, usually with a slightly critical nuance.
- 「Nっぽい」 = looks/seems like N: 「子どもっぽい」「水っぽいスープ」 (watery soup). Mostly carries a critical nuance.
- 「masu-stem＋っぽい」 = prone to: 「忘れっぽい」 (forgetful), 「怒りっぽい」 (quick to anger).
- The result is an i-ADJECTIVE, so it conjugates like one: 「子どもっぽくない」「安っぽかった」.
Examples
彼女は年のわりに子どもっぽいところがある。
She has a childish side for her age.
最近、忘れっぽくなって困っている。
Lately I have become forgetful, which is troubling.
Keep in mind
- Does not connect to the plain adjective form (「分かりにくっぽい」 is wrong).
- Conjugates like an i-adjective.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこの説明は分かりにくっぽい。
This explanation looks hard to understand.
Correctこの説明は分かりにくそうだ。
「っぽい」 does not attach to compound adjectives; to guess from appearance, use 「そうだ」.
-
Wrong忘れるっぽい性格だ。
I have a forgetful personality.
Correct忘れっぽい性格だ。
Attaches to the MASU-STEM 「忘れ」.
Exam tips
- 「っぽい」 = looks like / prone to; attaches to a noun or masu-stem, conjugates like an i-adjective.