Japanese grammar
What does ～っぽい mean? Japanese grammar N3
～っぽい means -ish; seeming like; prone to ~; full of ~.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N3 |
|---|---|
| Structure | N／V-ます stem drop ます + っぽい |
| Romaji | ppoi |
| Meaning | -ish; seeming like; prone to ~; full of ~ |
Forming it
| Connection | N／Vます (drop ます) + っぽい |
|---|
How to use it
A suffix expressing a subjective IMPRESSION “looks/seems like / tends to.” The nuance is usually slightly critical.
- 「～っぽい」 attached to a noun = looks like/has the quality of: 「子どもっぽい」 (childish), 「油っぽい」 (oily/greasy).
- Attached to a verb's ます-stem = TENDS to: 「忘れっぽい」 (forgetful), 「怒りっぽい」 (quick to anger).
- This is a SUBJECTIVE judgment and usually slightly critical — different from 「～らしい」 (truly typical, carries a positive nuance).
Examples
彼は忘れっぽいので、いつもメモを取る。
He is forgetful, so he always takes notes.
この服は少し子どもっぽい。
These clothes look a little childish.
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.
Keep in mind
- The result is an i-adjective (子どもっぽい→っぽくない).
- Usually slightly negative; for praise, use 「～らしい」 instead.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong忘れるっぽい人です。
Correct忘れっぽい人です。
With verbs, the ます-stem is usually used: 忘れます → 忘れっぽい.
-
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」 doesn't attach to compound adjectives; to guess appearance, use 「そうだ」.
-
Wrong忘れるっぽい性格だ。
I tend to be forgetful.
Correct忘れっぽい性格だ。
Attaches to the ます-STEM 「忘れ」.
-
Wrongこの子は子どもっぽくてかわいいです。
This child is innocent, truly childlike, so very cute.
Correctこの子は子どもらしくてかわいいです。
っぽい carries a CRITICAL nuance (immature) and is used for adults acting childish; to praise a child for being naturally childlike, use らしい.
-
Wrong母は忘れっぽいになりました。
My mother has become forgetful.
Correct母は忘れっぽくなりました。
っぽい conjugates like an i-ADJECTIVE → 「～くなる」, not 「～になる」.
Exam tips
- 「っぽい」 = looks like / tends to (subjective, slightly critical); different from 「らしい」 (truly typical, positive).