At a glance
～っぽい means "-ish", "looks like", or "tends to". It says that something has the look or qualities of something else, or that a person easily does something.
Noun + っぽい
Verb ます-stem + っぽい
い-adjective stem + っぽい
彼は子供っぽいです。 He's childish.
How to form it
～っぽい attaches directly to the word. The result is an い-adjective.
| Attaches to | How | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noun | noun + っぽい | 子供っぽい | childish |
| Verb | ます-stem + っぽい | 忘れっぽい | forgetful |
| い-adjective | drop い + っぽい | 安っぽい | cheap-looking |
It conjugates like any い-adjective:
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Present | 子供っぽい |
| Negative | 子供っぽくない |
| Past | 子供っぽかった |
| Adverb | 子供っぽく |
It is mostly used in conversation and casual writing.