っぽい (ppoi)

Meaning & usage

っぽい expresses that something somewhat has the look, feel, or quality of the base word, like -ish in English. It is used for an impression that is close but not complete, as in 子供っぽい for childish or 黒っぽい for darkish. It attaches to nouns, to the masu stem of verbs as in 忘れっぽい, and to adjective stems, and it conjugates as an i adjective. It is casual and often sounds critical when describing people.

Example sentences 7

1. 彼女かのじょにはいたずらっぽいところがあってますます好すきだ。

   I like her all the better for her naughtiness.

2. フランス語で話すと、子供っぽいって言われるんだよな。

   I've been told that I sound like a kid when I speak French.

3. その黒っぽいコートは彼女の浅黒い肌には合わない。

   That dark coat does not match her dark skin.

4. このステーキなんか生っぽい。よく焼けてるのかな？

   This steak seems rare. I wonder if it was cooked long enough.

5. 忘れっぽいんだけど、どうしても忘れられないことがあるの。

   My memory is weak, but there are things I can never forget.

6. 男性の方が女性より肌が脂っぽいって本当ですか？

   Is it true that men have oilier skin than women?

7. 道路がほこりっぽい。昨日雨が降ったはずがない。

   The road is dusty. It cannot have rained yesterday.