「私、色っぽい？」 (=Watashi, iroppoi?)

Am I sexy?

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Today we are focusing on “poi”.

Look at the picture for today. 色っぽい (=iroppoi) means “sexy“.

Ex. マギーは色っぽいです。(=Maggie wa iroppoi desu.) Maggie is sexy.

Did you see the Gimmeaflakeman video?

In the video, you have learned….

•（１）「今日は熱があります。」(=Kyou wa netsu ga arimasu. ) I have (a) fever.

• 今日 (=kyou) today

• は (=wa) noun marker

• 熱（=netsu) a fever

• が（=ga) follows after a subject.

• あります (=arimasu) to have

•（２）「今日は熱っぽいです。 」(=Kyou wa netsuppoi desu. )

I have a slight fever today. I am feverish today.

• 熱っぽい (=netsuppoi) feverish

• です(=desu) typical ending to a sentence, similar to “is” but not really the same.

See the difference between (1) and (2)?

っぽい (=~ppoi) means “~ish” or “~ like“. Just add it to nouns and make them to adjective-forms to say something is similar to that.

For example if you want to say someone or some dog looks like Tom Cruise or Maggie, you can say:

♦ 彼はトムクルーズっぽい。(=Kare wa Tomu Kuru—zu ppoi.) He is Tom Cruise-ish.

♦ あの犬はマギーっぽい。(=Ano inu wa Magi— ppoi.)　That dog is Maggie-like.

Even if Maggie does something that is LIKE something she would do you can say:

♦そこに骨を隠すのはマギーっぽい。(=Soko ni hone wo kakusu no wa Magiippoi.)

Hiding the bone there is so like Maggie.

Here are some more examples:

Ex.ゴミ箱（＝gomibako) →ゴミ箱っぽい（＝gomibakoppoi)　Trashbox-like

•「あそこにゴミ箱っぽいものがあります。」（=asoko ni gomibakoppoi mono ga arimasu.)

There is something which looks like a trashbox.

Ex. 嘘(=uso)　lie, fake →嘘っぽい（=usoppoi) fakish, not trustable, not convincing

•この映画は嘘っぽい。（=kono eiga wa usoppoi.) This movie is hoaxy.

Ex. 男(=otoko) a man →男っぽい(=otokoppoi) manly,masculine

Ex. 油(=abura) oil →油っぽい(=aburappoi) oily

•油っぽい食べ物 greasy food

Ex. オタク(=otaku) →オタクっぽい (=otakuppoi) nerdish

Ex. バカ(馬鹿）(=fool) →バカ（馬鹿）っぽい (=otakuppoi) foolish

Ex. 埃(=hokori) →埃っぽい (=hokorippoi) dusty

Very common with colors:

•赤っぽい (=akappoi） reddish Ex. 赤っぽい色の車を探しています。

•青っぽい (=aoppoi) bluish

•黄色っぽい (=kiiroppoi) yellowish

•黒っぽい (=kuroppoi) blackish

•白っぽい (=shiroppoi) whitish

•緑っぽい (=midorippoi ) greenish

•ピンクっぽい (=pinkuppoi) pinkish

Ex. 子供(=kodomo) a child/children →子供っぽい(=kodomoppoi) childish.

Note: 子供っぽい(=kodomoppoi) is sometimes used for adults who are childish considering their age.

Ex. 彼はいい歳をしているのに子供っぽい。(=kare wa ii toshi wo shite iru noni kodomoppoi.)

He is childish for his age.

（いい歳(=iitoshi) : negative : be supposed to be grown-up but…)

The difference between 「子供っぽい」 kodomoppoi and 「子供らしい」kodomo rashii

「っぽい」(=ppoi) and 「〜らしい」(~rashii) are interchangeable but sometimes they give a totally different nuance.

Usually 「子供っぽい」(=kodomo ppoi) can be used for adults but 「子供らしい」（＝kodomo rashii) only can be used for kids.

「子供らしい」（＝kodomo rashii) The subject has to be a kid. And it requires some qualities like being lively, active, innocent, cute, loving, and more positive compare to 「子供っぽい」 (=kodomoppoi). Childlike.

•彼は本当に子供らしい (=kare wa hontou ni kodomo rashii)

(“He” has to be a real child and this sentence implies that he is energetic, active, innocent or cute, etc.)

•子供らしい服 （＝kodomorashii fuku) adequate clothes for kids.

• 子供っぽい服 （=kodomoppoi fuku) childish clothes.

Cf.

大人(=otona) →大人っぽい (=otonappoi) mature

Ex. 彼女は大人っぽくみえるけれどもまだ子供だ。(=kanojyo wa otonappoku mieru keredomo mada kodomo da.)

She looks mature but is still a child.

Ex. 大人らしい(=otona rashii) grown-up

大人らしい態度 (=otona rashii taido) grown-up (mature) attitude

Also, みたいな means “like ~ “

1) 昨日、ビクターらしい人を見たよ。(=kinou bikutaa rashii hito wo mitayo.)

2) 昨日、ビクターみたいな人を見たよ。(=kinou bikutaa mitai na hito wo mitayo.)

3) 昨日、ビクターっぽい人を見たよ。（=kinou bikutaappoi hito wo mitayo.)

1) has more possibility that the person who this person saw was actually Victor.

2) means someone who looks like Victor.

3) means someone who looks like Victor or someone who has some similarities to Victor.

Also you add 「っぽい」(=~ppoi) after some (not all of them) 動詞の連用形(=doushi no renyoukei ), verbs with nominal ending.

Ex. 怒る (=okoru) to get angry → 怒り（＝okori) →怒りっぽい（＝okorippoi)　get angry easily

• 彼は怒りっぽい。(kare wa okorippoi.) He gets angry easily.

• 彼は最近怒りっぽくなった。(kare wa saikin okorippoku natta.) He’s been ill-tempered lately. (→See below “how to make an adverb-form” )

Ex. 飽きる(=akiru)　to get tired of sth. /s.b.→ 飽き(=aki)→飽きっぽい (=akippoi) quick to get tired.

Ex. 忘れる(=wasureru)　to forget →忘れ(=wasure)→忘れっぽい (=akippoi) quick to forget, tend to forget

Or sometimes you add it with some 形容詞（=keiyoushi) adjective.

安い(=yasui) cheap →安っぽい (=yasuppoi) cheapy

Ex. 安っぽい靴（＝yasuppoi kutsu) Cheapy shoes.

Note: We don’t say 「高っぽい」（takappoi) But as I always say, languages are changing.

We see/hear many young people use “ppoi” in a wrong way but it has become modern Japanese.

Ex.「可愛っぽい」(=kawaippoi) which grammatically incorrect instead of saying 可愛らしい(=kawairashii) or 可愛い (=kawaii) cute, but they use it anyway. Also it adds some milder nuance.

Ex.「 綺麗っぽい」 (kireippoi) kind of beautiful. ←綺麗な(=kireina)

Ex. 「彼ら、これからカラオケに行くっぽいよ。」karera korekara karaoke ni ikuppoi yo.

Looks like they are going to Karaoke now. ←行くみたいだよ。(=ikumitai dayo.)

There is a good example for this new trend. See this video and figure out what this actress (=Kii-san) said.

Did you get it?

•キイさん(=Kii-san) :「家にいるっぽい表情で出来たかなみたいな..」.(=Ie ni iruppoi hyoujyou de dekitakana mitaina..)

“I think I could do it like ..with a face expression as if I were at home.”

•キイさん(=Kii-san) :「ああ、なんか女の子っぽい、はい。」(Aa, nanka onnanokoppoi, hai.)

“Yeah, it’s kinda girl-like, right.”

(You might think that “girly” is appropriate here, but “girly” is negative. In this sentence onnanokoppoi is not negative.)

•インタヴュアー(=Interviewer) :「前より大人っぽいカレンダーになったかな…」(Sound faded)

“You think this calendar came out to be more mature than the previous one?”

•キイさん(=Kii-san) :「今より大人っぽい気がします。はい。」（Ima yori otonappoi kiga shimasu.)

“I think I look more mature than now.”

How to make an adverb-form:

You can change っぽい(=ppoi) to っぽく(=ppoku) and it will act as an adverb.

For example,

いたずらっぽい(=itazurappoi)=mischievous

いたずらっぽく笑う(=itazurappoku warau) to laugh mischievously

How to make a negative form:

〜っぽい（＝~ppoi) 　→〜っぽくない(=~ppoku nai.)　or 〜っぽくありません。（=~ppoku arimasen.) more polite.

彼は学生っぽい (=kare wa gakuseippoi) 　He looks like a student.

→彼は学生っぽくない。(Kare wa gakuseippoku nai)

→彼は学生っぽくありません。 (Kare wa gakuseippoku arimasen.) more polite.

He doesn’t look like a student.

Maggie先生より　Maggie sensei yori From Maggie-sensei

私も最近、忘れっぽくなっちゃって。今日、ご飯まだ食べていないよね。(Watashi mo saikin, wasureppoku nacchatte. Kyou gohan mada tabete inai yone.)　I’ve been forgetful lately. I have eaten today right?