What is the difference in usage among げ、がち、っぽい、and 気味? These grammar points can be difficult to differentiate, so I have gathered some notes and examples here. These grammar points are JLPT N3/N2 grammar points.
★~げ★
This is used it to describe something or someone (not yourself) who looks~ / seems~ / appears to~.
It is similar to そうに・そうな (sou ni / sou na), but げ (ge) is much more restricted with what words it can be paired with.
It is usually used to describe things like one’s emotions or state of being, whereas そう (sou) can be used with more general things like weather, etc.
Although this grammar is mostly used with adjectives, it can also be used with some verbs and nouns.
何か、言いたげだね。
They look like they want to say something.
ずいぶん、自信ありげだね。
You seem very confident.
そりゃあちょっとあやしげに見えますからね、そう思いませんか?
Well, that looks a little suspicious, don't you think?
同級生にテストの結果を聞くと、嬉しげな顔で100点だったと答えてくれた。
When I asked my classmate how they did on the test, they answered with a happy face that they got a perfect score.
★~がち★
This is usually used for something negative.
ありがち = tend to have
になりがち = tend to become ~
遅れがち = tend to be late
留守がち = tend to be absent
彼は、学校をサボりがちです。
He is always skipping school.
ずっと曇りがちの天気が続いている。
The constant cloudy weather keeps continuing.
一人暮らしなので、コンビニ弁当ばかり食べがちだ。
I live alone, so I tend to only eat convenience store meals.
私は空腹の時は機嫌が悪くなりがちだ。
When I am hungry I easily get into a bad mood.
★~っぽい★
① When following a noun or い-adjective, this means -ish, -like, -ly. Note: The number of adjectives that can be used with this are limited.
子供っぽい = childish, childlike
男っぽい = manly, like a man
女っぽい = womanly, like a woman
油っぽい = oily, lots of oil
② When following a verb, this means easy to do, or often do~. Note: This cannot be used with all verbs.
忘れっぽい = easy to forget, often forget
怒りっぽい = easy to anger, often angry
このコート、デザインはいいけれど、生地が安っぽいね。
This coat has a nice design, but the material looks cheap.
油っぽい食事は好きじゃない。
I don't like oily foods.
年を取ると、忘れっぽくなる。
As you get older, you become more forgetful.
君は飽きっぽいから何事も成功しないのだ。
You do not succeed in anything because you are quick to lose interest.
★~気味 (ぎみ)★
This is used to express that something looks or seems to be a certain way.
疲れ気味 【つかれぎみ】= looks / seems tired.
太り気味 【ふとりぎみ】 = looks / seems large
遅れ気味 【おくれぎみ】= tends to be late
寝不足気味 【ねぶそくぎみ】= looks / seems to be sleep deprived
残業続きで疲れ気味だ。
I've been feeling rather tired because of continuous overtime work.
新入社員は緊張気味の顔をしていた。
The new employee looked nervous.
彼は人の名前を忘れ気味である。
He tends to forget people's names.