N3 Appearance, Tendencies, and Hearsay

〜っぽい: meaning, usage and examples

〜っぽい means: -ish / seems... (appearance or characteristic).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 今日きょうは、熱ねつっぽいです。

   I have a slight fever today. / I feel feverish.

2. あの人ひとは、怒おこりっぽいですね。

   That person gets angry easily, doesn't he?

3. この料理りょうりは、ちょっと油あぶらっぽいですね。

   This dish is a little oily, isn't it?

4. 山田やまださんは忘わすれっぽいので、いつもメモをとっています。

   Ms. Yamada is forgetful, so she always takes notes.

When to use it

っぽい means "-ish" or "has the feel of". After a noun it says something looks or feels like that noun: 子こどもっぽい (childish), 白しろっぽい (whitish), 熱ねつっぽい (feverish). After a verb stem it describes a habit or character: 怒おこりっぽい (quick-tempered), 忘わすれっぽい (forgetful). In very casual speech it can also mean "it seems": 雨あめっぽい (looks like rain).

Nuance

Casual and spoken. It often carries a slightly negative feel, especially about people (子こどもっぽい is criticism). Verb-stem っぽい is a lasting trait, not one event. The "it seems" use (来こないっぽい) is very casual; avoid it in polite speech or writing.

Compare

らしい "typical of" means a thing has the ideal qualities of its type: 男おとこらしい (manly, in a good way). っぽい means it only resembles something: 男おとこっぽい (boyish, mannish). がち is about frequency (遅おくれがち), 気味ぎみ about a slight current state (疲つかれ気味ぎみ). 忘わすれっぽい is your nature; 忘わすれがち is how often it happens.

Tip: Use らしい for "a true example of" and っぽい for "looks like, but is not quite". 大人おとなっぽい means someone seems older than they are.