っぽい

also: ぽい

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

suffix, i-adjective

-ish; -like; seems like

Attaches to nouns, adjectives, and verb stems to express that something has the quality or tendency of the base word. Often carries a slightly negative or informal nuance.

彼かれは子こ供どもっぽいところがある。
He has a childish side.
このジュース、水みずっぽくて美味おいしくない。
This juice is watery and doesn't taste good.

忘わすれっぽいので、メモを取とるようにしている。

I'm forgetful, so I try to take notes.

Written forms

っぽいUsage93%
Standard kana suffix; no kanji form exists.
ぽいUsage7%
Variant used after ん, e.g. 男んぽい, though っぽい is more common.

Similar words

らしい
らしい expresses a typical, desirable quality of the noun (e.g. 男らしい 'manly'), while っぽい often implies a negative or superficial resemblance (e.g. 男っぽい 'mannish, like a man but not necessarily in a good way').
みたい
みたい is a more colloquial and versatile suffix meaning 'like' or 'similar to', used with nouns and verbs, while っぽい focuses on inherent qualities or tendencies.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 多い (おおい, 'many, much'), with the initial お dropped and a geminate consonant added. The exact historical development is uncertain, but it is a productive suffix in modern Japanese.