～っぽい
Seem -ish, or have a tendency to behave that way
You’ll be able to describe an impression, characteristic, or recurring tendency in casual language.
蓮は高校生なのに、お菓子を選ぶ時はどこか子供っぽいです。
ren wa koukousei na noni, okashi o erabu toki wa dokoka kodomoppoi desu.
What do you think this sentence means?
Even though Ren is a high school student, he is somewhat childish when picking out sweets.
Describe an -ish quality or personal tendency
Attach っぽい directly to nouns, adjective stems, or verb stems to informally convey a prominent quality or tendency ("-ish", "childish").
白っぽいシャツを買った。
shiroppoi shatsu o katta.
I bought a whitish shirt.
弟は飽きっぽくて、何でもすぐやめる。
otouto wa akippokute, nan demo sugu yameru.
My younger brother gets bored easily and quits everything right away.
Attach っぽい to nouns, adjective stems, or verb stems
Attach っぽい to a noun (子供っぽい, 男っぽい), adjective stem (安っぽい, 白っぽい), or masu-stem (怒りっぽい, 飽きっぽい). It inflects like an i-adjective.
この服は生地が薄くて、何だか安っぽく見える。
kono fuku wa kiji ga usukute, nandaka yasuppoku mieru.
The fabric of these clothes is thin, so it looks somewhat cheap.
～らしい vs ～っぽい
～らしい says someone is just as an X should be. ～っぽい says someone seems like an X although they are not one, and often sounds critical.
～らしい, just like an X should be
五歳の弟は、考え方が子供らしい。
gosai no otouto wa, kangaekata ga kodomorashii.
My five-year-old brother thinks just like a child should.
He really is a child; praise.
～っぽい, X-ish (but not an X)
二十歳の兄は、考え方が子供っぽい。
hatachi no ani wa, kangaekata ga kodomoppoi.
My twenty-year-old brother thinks in a childish way.
He is not a child; criticism.
このスープは水っぽくて、あまりおいしくない。
kono suupu wa mizuppokute, amari oishiku nai.
This soup is watery and not very tasty.
妹は中学生になって、急に大人っぽくなった。
imouto wa chuugakusei ni natte, kyuu ni otonappoku natta.
My younger sister suddenly became more grown-up once she started junior high.
「一週間で十キロやせる」なんて、その広告はうそっぽいよ。
"isshuukan de jukkiro yaseru" nante, sono koukoku wa usoppoi yo.
"Lose ten kilos in a week"? That ad sounds like a lie.
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