〜っぽい

〜っぽい forms an い-adjective with three layers of meaning. With nouns: "like, -ish" — often with a critical tone, because the thing actually isn't, or shouldn't be, that way: 大人なのに子どもっぽい (a grown-up, yet childish). With verb stems: "prone to, apt to": 忘れっぽい (forgetful), 怒りっぽい (quick-tempered). With colors or qualities: "tinged with, somewhat": 白っぽい (whitish), 安っぽい (cheap-looking).

っぽい conjugates exactly like an い-adjective: っぽく, っぽかった, っぽくて. It is a colloquial word, fine to use freely in conversation but best avoided in formal writing.

The classic comparison pair with characteristic らしい: 子どもらしい is PRAISE for a child being properly childlike and innocent, while 子どもっぽい is CRITICISM of an adult acting childish. らしい = "is X and true to X"; っぽい = "is not X (or shouldn't be like X) yet resembles X."

Examples

• 彼(かれ)は大人(おとな)なのに、子(こ)どもっぽいところがある。

  He's an adult, but there's something childish about him.

• 祖父(そふ)は最近(さいきん)忘(わす)れっぽくなった。

  My grandfather has become forgetful lately.

• 白(しろ)っぽいシャツは汚(よご)れが目立(めだ)つ。

  Whitish shirts show stains easily.

Related patterns

• Danh từ＋らしい
• 〜がち
• 〜気味