JLPT N3ComparisonUpdated 2026-09-25

〜がち vs 〜っぽい vs 〜気味 gachi · ppoi · gimi

〜がち describes a tendency, 〜っぽい describes a quality or resemblance, and 〜気味 describes a degree or slight condition. 忘れがち means “apt to forget,” while 忘れっぽい characterizes someone as forgetful. 風邪気味 suggests signs of a cold. These forms often occur with undesirable traits, but that is a usage tendency rather than a strict grammar rule.

also written gachi / poi / kimi

tends to (and shouldn't) · -ish; has that character · a touch of

Sentences

6 sentences, word by word

a tendency, counted

polite

、。

Hover, tap, or tab through the words.

How do you form がち, っぽい and 気味?

Verb［ます-stem］／Noun＋がち

忘れ → 忘れがち, 病気 → 病気がち. Behaves as a な-adjective: 忘れがちな人, 忘れがちになる.

Noun＋っぽい

子供っぽい, 水っぽい, 男っぽい. The result is a full い-adjective: 子供っぽかった, 子供っぽくない.

Verb［ます-stem］＋っぽい

忘れっぽい, 怒りっぽい, 飽きっぽい. On a verb it means the person does this easily — a character trait, not a count.

Verb［ます-stem］／Noun＋気味

風邪気味, 疲れ気味, 太り気味. Read ぎみ, not きみ, and it means a little bit — never a lot.

Meaning

What's the difference between がち, っぽい and 気味?

Three different questions, three different suffixes.

がち answers “how often?” 約束を忘れがちです — it keeps happening. There is a built-in wince: がち usually appears with undesirable tendencies. 遅れがち, 休みがち, 曇りがち — all things you would rather were otherwise.

っぽい answers “what is it like?” 子供っぽい is childish, 水っぽい is watery, 安っぽい is cheap-looking. On a verb stem it becomes a trait: 忘れっぽい is not “forgets often,” it is “is forgetful” — the person is built that way.

気味 answers “how much?” 風邪気味です — a touch of a cold, rather than a definite diagnosis. It is about a state you are in at the moment, and it usually suggests a modest degree. ちょっと in front of it is common and not redundant.

っぽい versus らしい is the trap worth memorising. 子供っぽい大人 is an adult behaving childishly — a criticism. 子供らしい子供 is a child being properly childlike — a compliment. The examples tend to carry different evaluations, depending on context.

Watch out

Where does this go wrong?

Using がち for something good

褒められがち sounds odd for the same reason “I'm prone to being praised” does. がち carries regret. If the tendency is welcome, use 〜やすい or よく〜する.

Reading 気味 as きみ

In this suffix it is ぎみ — かぜぎみ, つかれぎみ. The separate word 気味 read きみ means “feeling,” as in 気味が悪い, creepy — a different word entirely.

っぽい where you meant らしい

Calling a colleague's work プロっぽい means it merely looks professional. プロらしい means it is worthy of a professional. One is a backhanded compliment; the other is the compliment.

Also asked

Questions people ask about がち, っぽい and 気味

Is 〜っぽい casual?

The suffix itself is standard, but young speakers extend it far beyond the textbook — 行くっぽい, 無理っぽい, meaning “seems like.” That extended use is slangy. Attached to a noun or a verb stem, it is perfectly normal Japanese.

What's the difference between 〜がち and 〜やすい?

やすい is neutral ease — この紙は破れやすい, this paper tears easily. がち adds regret and repetition. 風邪をひきやすい is a constitution; 風邪をひきがち is a complaint.

Can 気味 attach to verbs?

Yes, to the ます-stem: 疲れ気味, 太り気味, 遅れ気味. It stays small in quantity either way — 太り気味 is “carrying a few extra pounds,” not obese.

Is 忘れがち the same as 忘れっぽい?

Close, and often interchangeable, but the emphasis differs. 忘れがち reports a pattern of events; 忘れっぽい describes the person's nature. You would use the first about yourself this month and the second about someone's character.

What does 曇りがち mean in a weather forecast?

Mostly cloudy — cloud is what it keeps returning to. Weather is the one place がち appears without any real complaint attached, though the faint “unfortunately” is still audible.

Does 〜らしい here mean the same as hearsay らしい?

No — same syllables, two grammars. After a full clause it is hearsay: 雨が降るらしい, apparently it'll rain. Directly on a bare noun it means befitting: 彼らしい, that's so like him. The hearsay one has its own page, linked below.

References