“〜ppoi”: -ish / Tends to Be 〜 (a subjective impression) [JLPT N3]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

“childish,” “quick to anger,” “cheap-looking” — a subjective impression of a tendency or trait

「子供っぽい」「忘れっぽい」「水っぽい」 — the same っぽい, three flavors

「子供っぽい」 (childish), 「忘れっぽい」 (forgetful, forgets easily), 「水っぽい」 (watery, too thin) — the same 「っぽい」, yet respectively saying “like …,” “apt to …,” “too much …” This colloquial N3 regular carries a subjective, often negative evaluative feel. This guide covers 「っぽい」's three uses and attachment, separating it cleanly from the positive 「らしい」.

Core: っぽい's three flavors (like / apt to / full of)

「(noun・verb masu-stem) ＋ っぽい」 turns the preceding word into an i-adjective meaning “having a … feel/tendency,” in three common flavors:

• ① looks like ～, has a ～ feel (noun ＋ っぽい): 子供っぽい (childish); 白っぽい (whitish).
• ② apt to ～, quick to ～ (verb masu-stem ＋ っぽい): 忘れっぽい (forgetful); 怒りっぽい (quick-tempered); 飽きっぽい (fickle).
• ③ too much ～, ～-heavy (noun ＋ っぽい): 水っぽい (too thin, watery); 油っぽい (greasy); 埃っぽい (dusty).

Feel: “feels quite ～／quick to ～／too much ～” — carrying the speaker's subjective impression, and often negative (子供っぽい often implies the pejorative “immature”).

Attachment & conjugation

Examples in context

• 彼はもう30歳なのに、話し方が子供っぽい。(He's already 30, yet his way of talking is childish.) — like
• 最近、年のせいか忘れっぽくなった。(Lately, maybe due to age, I've become forgetful.) — apt to
• このスープ、ちょっと水っぽいね。(This soup is a bit watery.) — full of
• 彼女は怒りっぽいから、言葉に気をつけて。(She's quick-tempered, so watch your words.) — apt to
• この安っぽいカバン、実は高いんだよ。(This cheap-looking bag is actually expensive.) — has a ～ feel

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① 「っぽい」 is often negative, 「らしい」 leans positive. Both can render as “like ～,” but with opposite feeling. 子供っぽい = childish (pejorative: immature); 子供らしい = as a child ought to be (praise: innocent, cute). Likewise 男っぽい (manly-feeling, more descriptive of outward traits) vs 男らしい (manly, praise). To praise “nicely befitting a ～,” use 「らしい」; to say “feels like ～ (often pejorative),” use 「っぽい」.

② Verbs attach in the ‘masu-stem,' not the dictionary form. 忘れる→忘れっぽい (○), 忘れるっぽい (×); 怒る→怒りっぽい (○). The verb's continuative stem (dropping る/ます) ＋ っぽい. (Note: colloquially, young people say 「行くっぽい」 = seems like going, for conjecture, but that's a newer casual usage — for formal writing/exams use the traditional attachment above.)

③ 「っぽい」 is very colloquial; swap it in formal settings. っぽい is everyday speech with a casual, subjective evaluative feel; for formal writing or with elders, prefer 「〜のようだ／〜に見える／〜の傾向がある」 (子供っぽい → 子供のように見える; 忘れっぽい → 忘れやすい／物忘れが多い). っぽい is natural in casual chat but should be reined in formally.

🔄 Compare: っぽい／らしい／みたい

💡 The key point in use

「っぽい」 is a colloquial N3 regular that turns a noun/verb into a “has-a-… feel” i-adjective; remember three flavors: ① like ～/has a ～ feel (子供っぽい = childish; 白っぽい = whitish); ② apt to ～/quick to ～ (忘れっぽい = forgetful; 怒りっぽい = quick-tempered, verbs attach in the masu-stem); ③ too much ～/～-heavy (水っぽい = too thin; 油っぽい = greasy). Two key reminders: ① っぽい often carries a negative subjective evaluation — to praise “nicely befitting a ～,” use the positive 「らしい」 (子供っぽい pejorative vs 子供らしい praise), don't mix them up; ② っぽい is very colloquial, so in formal writing prefer 「〜やすい／〜のようだ／〜の傾向がある」. Grasp the three tags “subjective, often negative, colloquial” and you'll use っぽい well.

❓ Common questions

Q: 「子供っぽい」 and 「子供らしい」 differ only in っぽい／らしい — same meaning?

Not at all — even opposite in praise/blame! 「子供っぽい」 = childish, immature (pejorative) — said of an “adult” acting like a child, with the negative “immature, should grow up”: もう大人なのに、考え方が子供っぽい (an adult yet such childish thinking). 「子供らしい」 = as a child ought to be, innocent and cute (praise) — said of a “child” showing a child's proper innocence, with positive appreciation: 子供らしい素直な笑顔 (a child's honest smile). The difference comes from each word's essence: 「っぽい」 carries a subjective impression, often negative (“feels like … (not so good)”); 「らしい」 marks ‘befitting that status / the proper type,' leans positive (“as a … should be”). Likewise: 男っぽい (manly-feeling, descriptive) vs 男らしい (manly, praise); 学生っぽい (looks like a student) vs 学生らしい (befitting a student, praise). To praise, use らしい; to say “like … (a bit pejorative),” use っぽい.

Q: What form does the verb before 「っぽい」 take?

The 「masu-stem」 (continuative form, dropping る/ます), not the dictionary form. E.g., 忘れる→忘れっぽい (forgetful); 怒る→怒りっぽい (quick-tempered); 飽きる→飽きっぽい (fickle, easily bored); 疲れる→疲れっぽい (tires easily). All make the verb into its masu-stem, then ＋ っぽい, meaning “apt to do that action, has that tendency.” Nouns attach directly (子供っぽい, 水っぽい). Note: recently, young people colloquially use “dictionary/plain form ＋ っぽい” for conjecture (雨降るっぽい = seems like rain; 終わったっぽい = seems it's over) — a newer casual usage, fine in chat, but for formal settings and the JLPT use the traditional 「noun／verb masu-stem ＋ っぽい」 (marking a quality, tendency), don't mix them.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「最近、約束をすぐ忘れる。忘れ___なった。」（became forgetful）

(A) っぽく　(B) らしく　(C) みたいに　(D) そうに

Q2. 「子供っぽい」と「子供らしい」の違いは?

(A) っぽい = childish (slightly negative); らしい = having the innocence a child should have (positive)

(B) The two are exactly the same

(C) っぽい = positive

(D) らしい = childish

Q3. 「安っぽい」の意味は?

(A) Looks cheap (with a negative impression)

(B) Genuinely very cheap

(C) Very high-class

(D) Free

Q4. 「っぽい」の活用として正しいのは?

(A) 怒りっぽくない　(B) 怒りっぽいだ　(C) 怒りっぽくだ　(D) 怒りっぽいの

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 飽きっぽい性格だ。　(B) 飽きるっぽい。

(C) 飽きたっぽい性格。　(D) 飽きてっぽい。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) っぽく ── 忘れっぽくなった = became forgetful.

2. (A) ── っぽい is slightly negative; らしい is positive.

3. (A) ── Looks cheap (negative).

4. (A) ── っぽい conjugates like an い-adjective (っぽくない).

5. (A) ── Verb ます-form stem ＋ っぽい (飽き ＋ っぽい).