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JLPT N3 grammar comparison

〜っぽい vs 〜がち

By Nihongo PathUpdated

The difference

From the 〜っぽい lesson

〜がち: Tends to (actions, undesirable): 遅刻しがち. っぽい is about qualities and appearance.

From the 〜がち lesson

〜っぽい: A quality or appearance; がち is about frequency of an action or state.

Side by side

〜っぽい

ppoi · JLPT N3

Meaning
-ish / tends to… / seems like…
Formation
Noun + っぽい (子供っぽい, 油っぽい)Verb (ます stem) + っぽい (忘れっぽい, 怒りっぽい)い-adjective stem + っぽい (安っぽい, 白っぽい)Conjugates as an い-adjective

  1. 彼は最近、忘れっぽくなった。

    かれはさいきん、わすれっぽくなった。

    He's become forgetful lately.

  2. 子供っぽい服は着たくない。

    こどもっぽいふくはきたくない。

    I don't want to wear childish clothes.

Full lesson on 〜っぽい

〜がち

gachi · JLPT N3

Meaning
Tends to… / prone to… / often…
Formation
Verb (ます stem) + がちNoun + がちFollowed by だ / な + Noun / に + Verb

  1. 最近、仕事が忙しくて、遅刻しがちだ。

    さいきん、しごとがいそがしくて、ちこくしがちだ。

    Lately I've been busy with work and tend to be late.

  2. 子供の頃は病気がちだった。

    こどものころはびょうきがちだった。

    I was sickly as a child.

Full lesson on 〜がち

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 〜っぽい and 〜がち?

Tends to (actions, undesirable): 遅刻しがち. っぽい is about qualities and appearance.

When do you use 〜がち instead of 〜っぽい?

A quality or appearance; がち is about frequency of an action or state.