Word
空っぽ
Meaning in Englishempty, vacant, hollow
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Word context
What it means
空っぽ means empty or devoid of contents. It describes something with nothing inside and can also be used metaphorically for a lack of substance, energy, or meaning in a person or situation.
Main meanings
- Physical emptiness: describes a container, space, or vessel with nothing inside.
- Metaphorical emptiness: describes a mind, mood, or atmosphere lacking substance or vitality.
- State of being emptied or unfilled: used to express that contents have been removed or left vacant.
How to use it
Used as a noun or na-adjective in casual and written Japanese. It modifies nouns with の (空っぽの財布) and can serve as a predicate with だ/です in informal to semi-formal contexts (空っぽだ). In formal writing, prefer terms like 空虚 or 中身がない.
Variants and close terms
- からっぽ karappo — empty
- 空虚 kukyō — formal or abstract emptiness
- がらんと garanto — emptiness in a spatial sense
Composition
- 空 = core meaning of empty; in this word it carries the semantic load of emptiness rather than the 'sky' sense
- っぽ = suffix indicating appearance or tendency; combined they yield an adjective-like noun meaning 'empty-looking' or 'empty in content'
Etymology
空 indicates emptiness, while っぽ is a suffix that marks appearance or tendency; together they form 空っぽ with the sense of 'empty in content' or 'empty-looking.'
Word class
na-adjective (な-adjective)
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