Posted inN3 Grammar

Feeling a Little…: Mastering 気味 (ぎみ) at the N3 Level

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

A slight degree, a tendency towards something, or a feeling of something.

🎯 Primary Function

Used to indicate a state or condition is slightly present, or there is a tendency towards it. Often implies a subjective feeling or a slightly undesirable state.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Verb ます-stem] + 気味 (ぎみ) OR [Noun] + 気味 (ぎみ)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used, but usually in descriptive contexts rather than strict formal speech/writing like official reports.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in daily conversation.

✍️ Written Language

Used in descriptive writing, diaries, casual emails. Less common in formal academic or business writing.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequently used.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing physical/mental states.
Used to describe feelings like tiredness, nervousness, or conditions like catching a cold.
Example: 疲れ気味です。(I’m feeling a bit tired.)
Describing the state of things.
Used for things that are slightly in a certain state, like being a little loose or slightly delayed.
Example: ねじが緩み気味だ。(The screw is a little loose.)
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📊
Frequency
Moderately frequent in everyday conversation.
🎚️
Difficulty
N3
Example Sentences
最近、寝不足気味で頭が痛い。
Recently, I’ve been feeling a bit sleep-deprived and have a headache.
彼はいつも緊張気味に話す。
He always talks a bit nervously.
ちょっと風邪気味なので、今日は早く帰ります。
I’m feeling a bit like I’m catching a cold, so I’ll go home early today.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Often implies a slight negative state.
While not exclusively negative, it frequently describes undesirable conditions like fatigue, sickness, nervousness, looseness, etc.
Example: 疲れ気味 (tired), 風邪気味 (catching a cold), 緊張気味 (nervous), 緩み気味 (loose).
Connects to Verb ます-stem or Noun.
Cannot connect to adjectives or other verb forms directly.
Example: Correct: 疲れ気味 (Noun + 気味). Incorrect: 疲れている気味. Correct: 緩み気味 (Verb ます-stem + 気味). Incorrect: 緩い気味.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using it with states that are not temporary or slightly present.
✅ Use it for conditions that are “somewhat” or “a little” the case.
Avoid using it for clear, definite states or permanent conditions. For example, 痛い気味 (feeling sore) is less natural than 疲れ気味 or 風邪気味 because 痛い usually describes a direct, strong sensation.
❌ Incorrect conjugation (using plain form, dictionary form, etc. instead of ます-stem).
✅ Always use the ます-stem for verbs.
For example, 太る気味 is wrong. It must be 太り気味 (from 太ります).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. Can be used in both casual and slightly formal contexts depending on the overall sentence and situation.
Social Situations: Common in everyday conversations, especially when describing one’s physical or mental state.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations.

🔍 Subtle Differences

気味 (gimi) vs. っぽい (ppoi)
気味 describes a slight state or feeling (often internal/subjective), usually negative or undesirable. っぽい describes a tendency, appearance, or characteristic, can be positive or negative, often more about appearance or outward impression.
When to use: Use 気味 for feeling tired, catching a cold, being nervous, etc. Use っぽい for ‘childish’, ‘manly’, ‘seems like rain’, ‘reddish’.
気味 (gimi) vs. がち (gachi)
気味 describes a slight state or feeling currently experienced or present. がち describes a tendency or habit, something that happens frequently or is likely to happen as a pattern.
When to use: Use 気味 for “I’m feeling a bit tired today”. Use がち for “I tend to get tired easily” (疲れがち).
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Applies to Verb ます-stem (e.g., 疲れます -> 疲れ気味) and Nouns (e.g., 風邪 -> 風邪気味).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

ぎみ (gimi) is pronounced with a hard ‘g’ sound.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of 気味 as describing a “taste” or “flavor” (味) of a certain “feeling” or “state” (気), but just a slight one.

Practice Exercises
彼は最近少し___気味だ。（gain weight）
太り
太る
太って
太った
明日から旅行なのに、少し___気味で心配だ。（catching a cold）
風邪
風邪をひく
風邪ひき
風邪の
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