seeming to have a problem; looking like there's a story
Describes a person, situation, or thing that appears to have some hidden trouble, complication, or backstory. Often used when someone looks troubled or something seems off.
彼は訳ありげな顔でため息をついた。
He sighed with a look that suggested something was troubling him.
その古い家はなんだか訳ありげに見える。
That old house looks like it has some kind of story behind it.
Standard kanji spelling using the common ありげ suffix.
Variant using 気; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 訳 (わけ, 'reason, circumstance') + あり (the continuative form of ある, 'to exist') + げ (a suffix indicating appearance or seeming). Literally 'seeming to have circumstances'.