Japanese has a set of suffixes that attach to nouns or verbs to express "having a tendency" or "being in a certain state." At the N2 level, you need to master four: がち, ぎみ, っぽい, and だらけ.
がち: Tend to… / Prone to…
「がち」indicates that a certain action or state happens frequently, usually something negative:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 忘れがちな姉は忘れ物が多い。 | My forgetful sister often leaves things behind. |
| 彼は病気がちで、よく学校を休む。 | He's often sick and frequently misses school. |
| 冬は運動不足になりがちだ。 | In winter, people tend to not exercise enough. |
Connection: Verb ます-stem + がち; Noun + がち
Key Points
- Negative tendency: Almost exclusively used for undesirable things
- When modifying a noun, add な: 忘れがちな人
- Has no negative form (you can't say ×がちくない)
ぎみ: Slightly… / A Touch of…
「ぎみ」indicates a slight appearance of some state — "a bit of":
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 朝から疲れ気味で、全く元気がない。 | I've been slightly tired since morning, with no energy at all. |
| 最近太り気味だ。 | I've been gaining a bit of weight lately. |
| 風邪気味なので、早めに帰ります。 | I seem to have a slight cold, so I'll head home early. |
Connection: Verb ます-stem + ぎみ; Noun + ぎみ (written as 気味)
がち vs ぎみ
| がち | ぎみ | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | Happens frequently | Slight sign |
| Nuance | Always like this | Just a hint of it |
| Example | 忘れがち = keeps forgetting | 疲れぎみ = a bit tired |
っぽい: -ish / Resembling / Having the Quality of…
「っぽい」indicates that something exhibits a certain characteristic or quality — possibly unexpected:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 台湾では油っぽい料理が多いらしい。 | Apparently Taiwan has a lot of greasy food. |
| 彼女は怒りっぽい性格だ。 | She has a short-tempered personality. |
| この色、ちょっと安っぽい。 | This color looks a bit cheap. |
| あの人は男っぽい。 | That person is masculine / tomboyish. |
Connection: Noun + っぽい; Verb ます-stem + っぽい; い-adj (drop い) + っぽい
Key Points
- Conjugates like an い-adjective: っぽくない, っぽかった
- Can modify nouns: 安っぽいバッグ
- Not always negative — "男っぽい" can be neutral
だらけ: Covered in… / Full of…
「だらけ」indicates being full of (usually bad) things — dirty, excessive, everywhere:
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 顔が皺だらけだ。 | The face is covered in wrinkles. |
| 部屋はゴミだらけだ。 | The room is full of garbage. |
| テストは間違いだらけだった。 | The test was full of mistakes. |
Connection: Noun + だらけ
Key Points
- Only attaches to nouns
- Almost always negative things
- When modifying a noun, add の: 血だらけの手
Comparison of All Four
| Suffix | Meaning | Connection | Connotation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| がち | Tend to / prone to | V ます-stem / Noun | Negative | 忘れがち |
| ぎみ | Slightly / a hint of | V ます-stem / Noun | Mild | 疲れぎみ |
| っぽい | -ish / resembling | Noun / V ます-stem / い-adj | Neutral | 安っぽい |
| だらけ | Covered in / full of | Noun | Negative | ゴミだらけ |
Memory shortcut: がち = keeps doing it, ぎみ = just a hint, っぽい = has the vibe, だらけ = full of it.
Summary
- 「がち」= Tends to happen frequently (negative)
- 「ぎみ」= Shows slight signs of (mild tendency)
- 「っぽい」= Has the quality/characteristic of (conjugates like い-adj)
- 「だらけ」= Covered in / full of bad things (noun only)
Self-Check
1. Complete the sentence with the right suffix:
最近、仕事が忙しくて、運動不足になり____だ。
Show Answer
運動不足になりがちだ。 "I tend to not get enough exercise." がち = a negative tendency that keeps happening.
2. What's the difference between 「油っぽい」 and 「油だらけ」?
Show Answer
- 油っぽい: Has an oily quality/feel (describes a characteristic)
- 油だらけ: Covered in oil (emphasizes quantity, mess) っぽい describes a quality, while だらけ describes being filled/covered with something.
3. Choose the correct suffix: ちょっと風邪____なので休みます。
Show Answer
風邪気味（ぎみ） "I seem to have a slight cold." ぎみ = a mild sign of something.