～っぽい — -ish, -like; prone to (often negative) | JLPT N3 grammar

Meaning

A casual adjective suffix meaning either “-ish, looking or feeling like” (白っぽい whitish, 子どもっぽい childish) or, with a few verbs, “prone to” as a personality trait (忘れっぽい forgetful). It often sounds disapproving. Unlike らしい, it says something merely resembles N rather than being a typical example of it.

Formation

N＋っぽい: 子ども → 子どもっぽい, 秋 → 秋っぽい
Aい minus い＋っぽい: 白い → 白っぽい, 安い → 安っぽい
Vます stem＋っぽい (personality trait): 忘れます → 忘れっぽい, 怒ります → 怒りっぽい
Conjugates like an い-adjective: 水っぽくない, 大人っぽくなる, 飽きっぽくて、…

When to use it

Where to use it: Everyday speech and casual writing, for looks, taste or manner (水っぽいスープ, 大人っぽい服) and for people's tendencies (飽きっぽい性格).
Where not to use it: Avoid it in formal or academic writing, where 的 or ような is used. It doesn't describe a typical, proper member of a group: a child acting the way a child should is 子どもらしい, not っぽい.

Examples

20 sentences

兄あにはもう大人おとななのに、考え方かんがえかたが子どもこどもっぽい。
My brother is a grown-up, but he thinks like a child.
その白しろっぽいシャツ、どこで買ったかったの？
Where did you get that whitish shirt?
祖母そぼは最近さいきん、少しすこし忘れわすれっぽくなりました。
My grandmother has gotten a little forgetful lately.
父ちちは怒りおこりっぽいので、話すはなすタイミングに気きをつけている。
My father is quick-tempered, so I'm careful about when I talk to him.
このスープ、ちょっと水みずっぽくない？
Isn't this soup a bit watery?
彼かれは飽きあきっぽくて、趣味しゅみが長くながく続かないつづかない。
He gets bored easily, so his hobbies never last long.
安やすっぽい服ふくを買うかうより、いいものを長くながく着たいきたい。
Rather than buy cheap-looking clothes, I'd rather wear good things for years.
娘むすめは中学生ちゅうがくせいになって、急にきゅうに大人おとなっぽくなった。
Since starting junior high, my daughter suddenly looks much more grown-up.

12 more examples

課長かちょうは理屈りくつっぽくて、会議かいぎがなかなか終わらないおわらない。
Our section chief loves to argue every little point, so meetings drag on forever.
熱ねつっぽいので、今日きょうは早めにはやめに帰らせてかえらせてください。
I'm feeling a bit feverish, so please let me leave early today.
冗談じょうだんっぽく言ったいったけど、彼かれは本気ほんきだったと思うおもう。
He said it half-jokingly, but I think he meant it.
まだ五月ごがつなのに、梅雨つゆっぽい天気てんきが続いてつづいている。
It's only May, but we've been having weather that feels like the rainy season.
この部屋へやは、しばらく使ってつかっていないのでほこりっぽい。
This room hasn't been used for a while, so it's kind of dusty.
飽きあきっぽい性格せいかくを、なんとか直したいなおしたい。
I want to somehow fix my habit of getting bored with things quickly.
部長ぶちょうは忘れわすれっぽいから、メールでも伝えてつたえておこう。
The department head tends to forget things, so I'll let him know by email as well.
駅前えきまえのフレンチの店みせは、高級こうきゅうっぽくなくて、入りやすいはいりやすい。
The French restaurant by the station doesn't feel fancy, so it's easy to walk into.
この髪型かみがた、ちょっとおばさんっぽくない？
Doesn't this hairstyle make me look kind of middle-aged?
遠くとおくから見るみると、あの山やまは青あおっぽく見えるみえる。
From far away, that mountain looks bluish.
さっきの店員てんいんさん、学生がくせいっぽかったね。
That clerk just now seemed like a student, didn't they?
疲れるつかれると、つい愚痴ぐちっぽくなってしまう。
When I get tired, I tend to start complaining.

Important notes

The “prone to” meaning works only with a handful of verbs: 忘れっぽい, 怒りっぽい, 飽きっぽい, ほれっぽい. These words never take a を object.
In young people's speech, plain form＋っぽい means “seems like” (雨が降るっぽい) — a slangy stand-in for みたい that is avoided in writing.

Common mistakes

✗ 白いっぽい → ✓ 白っぽい — with い-adjectives, っぽい attaches to the stem without い.
✗ 傘を忘れっぽい → ✓ 傘を忘れがちだ — っぽい is a character trait and can't take an object; for repeatedly forgetting a specific thing, use がち.
✗ うちの子は明るくて子どもっぽい (as praise) → ✓ 子どもらしい — a child behaving like a child is らしい; っぽい criticizes an adult for acting childish.

Check yourself

Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.

Sentence 1: 課長かちょうは理屈りくつっぽくて、会議かいぎがなかなか終わらないおわらない。 That cloud looks like a rabbit.Our section chief loves to argue every little point, so meetings drag on forever.Apparently Tanaka will be off next week.
Sentence 2: 部長ぶちょうは忘れわすれっぽいから、メールでも伝えてつたえておこう。 Apparently the ramen at that shop is cheap and good.The department head tends to forget things, so I'll let him know by email as well.This bread is sweet like cake.
Sentence 3: 疲れるつかれると、つい愚痴ぐちっぽくなってしまう。 It seems he has been good at piano since childhood.When I get tired, I tend to start complaining.He seems very sleepy today.