Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
-like, a touch of, a bit of, seeming to be…
🎯 Primary Function
To express a subjective feeling that a certain state or negative tendency is present or beginning to appear.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (ます-stem) + 気味 (gimi) / Noun + 気味 (gimi)
Not applicable (usually attaches to Nouns or Verb stems).
Not applicable (usually attaches to Nouns or Verb stems).
Noun / Verb-stem + 気味ではない / 気味ではありません (Rarely used in negative form as it already describes a slight state).
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business reports or professional updates to describe trends (e.g., sales trending down).
Informal Situations
Very common in daily life to describe one’s health or feelings.
Written Language
Found in diaries, news reports (regarding economic trends), and literature.
Spoken Language
Commonly used to express “I feel like…” or “I’m a bit…” without being too definitive.
💡 Common Applications
Physical Condition
Used to describe early symptoms or a slight physical feeling before a full condition sets in.
Example: 風邪気味 (kaze-gimi) – feeling like one has a slight cold.
Work and Schedules
Used to indicate a trend where things are not moving as fast as planned.
Example: 遅れ気味 (okure-gimi) – running a bit behind schedule.
Personal Feelings/Trends
Used to describe a subjective observation of a personal trend or state.
Example: 太り気味 (futori-gimi) – tending to gain weight.
Frequency
High in both spoken and written Japanese, especially when softening a negative statement.
Difficulty
JLPT N3 (Intermediate)
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Example Sentences
Example #1
今日は朝から少し風邪気味です。
Furigana: きょう は あさ から すこし かぜぎみ です。
Romaji: Kyou wa asa kara sukoshi kaze-gimi desu.
English: I’ve been feeling like I’m catching a cold since this morning.
Example #2
忙しい日が続いて、最近は疲れ気味です。
Furigana: いそがしい ひ が つづいて、さいきん は つかれぎみ です。
Romaji: Isogashii hi ga tsuzuite, saikin wa tsukare-gimi desu.
English: Because of the busy season, I’ve been feeling a bit tired lately.
Example #3
プロジェクトの予定が遅れ気味です。
Furigana: プロジェクト の よてい が おくれぎみ です。
Romaji: Purojekuto no yotei ga okure-gimi desu.
English: The project is slightly behind schedule.
Example #4
最近運動していないので、太り気味です。
Furigana: さいきん うんどう していないので、ふとりぎみ です。
Romaji: Saikin undou shite inai node, futori-gimi desu.
English: I haven’t been exercising lately, so I feel like I’m gaining a bit of weight.
Example #5
彼は面接で緊張気味に見えました。
Furigana: かれ は めんせつ で きんちょうぎみ に みえました。
Romaji: Kare wa mensetsu de kinchou-gimi ni miemashita.
English: He looked a bit nervous during the interview.
Example #6
ゲームをして夜更かししたので、寝不足気味です。
Furigana: ゲーム を して よふかし したので、ねぶそくぎみ です。
Romaji: Geemu o shite yofukashi shita node, nebusoku-gimi desu.
English: I feel like I’m a bit short on sleep because I stayed up late playing games.
Example #7
先週から株価は下がり気味です。
Furigana: せんしゅう から かぶか は さがりぎみ です。
Romaji: Senshuu kara kabuka wa sagari-gimi desu.
English: Stock prices have been trending slightly downward since last week.
Example #8
彼女は急いでいたので、話し方が焦り気味でした。
Furigana: かのじょ は いそいでいたので、はなしかた が あせりぎみ でした。
Romaji: Kanojo wa isoide ita node, hanashikata ga asari-gimi deshita.
English: She was speaking a bit fast because she was in a hurry.
Example #9
この仕事にも、少し飽き気味です。
Furigana: この しごと に も、すこし あきぎみ です。
Romaji: Kono shigoto ni mo, sukoshi aki-gimi desu.
English: I’m starting to get a bit bored with this work.
Example #10
試合の後半は、私たちのチームが押し気味でした。
Furigana: しあい の こうはん は、わたしたち の チーム が おしぎみ でした。
Romaji: Shiai no kouhan wa, watashitachi no chiimu ga oshi-gimi deshita.
English: Our team was slightly dominating the match in the second half.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Subjective Nature
気味 is subjective. You might feel ‘futori-gimi’ even if your weight hasn’t actually changed much.
Example: 太り気味 (Tending to get fat) vs 太った (Got fat)
Negative Nuance
It is almost exclusively used for negative or undesirable states.
Example: 疲れ気味 (Feel tired), 遅れ気味 (Running late).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 風邪の気味 (Kaze no gimi)
✅ 風邪気味 (Noun + 気味)
You do not need “no” between the noun and gimi.
❌ 忘れ気味 (Wasure-gimi)
✅ 忘れがち (Wasure-gachi)
気味 is for a current state/feeling, while がち is for a high frequency or habit of doing something negative. You don’t “feel like” forgetting; you “tend to” forget.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Polite and neutral. It is a soft way to mention a problem.
Social Situations: Useful for complaining slightly about one’s health or work status without sounding overly dramatic.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.
🔍 Subtle Differences
～気味 vs ～がち (gachi)
気味 is a current state/feeling (a touch of), while がち is a frequency/tendency (often/tend to).
When to use: Use 気味 for how you feel right now. Use がち for things that happen often.
～気味 vs ～っぽい (ppoi)
気味 is a subjective internal feeling, while っぽい is an objective outward appearance.
When to use: Use っぽい when something looks/acts like something else (e.g., kodomo-ppoi – childlike).
📝 Conjugation Notes
気味 (gimi) behaves like a Na-adjective (気味な, 気味に) or can end a sentence with ‘da’ or ‘desu’. It is most commonly attached to the stem of a verb or a noun.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘g’ in ‘gimi’ is sometimes pronounced with a nasal ‘n’ sound (bikion) in some dialects, but standard ‘g’ is perfectly fine.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘gimi’ as ‘give me’ a feeling. ‘Kaze-gimi’ = ‘Give me a feeling of a cold.’ Or link it to ‘kimochi’ (feeling) since it starts with ‘ki’.
Other Grammar
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