げ (ge): Appearing to feel a particular emotion
～げ (ge)
Meaning
Looking; appearing to feel
Formation and usage
Remove い from an i-adjective and add げ; some na-adjectives also take げ. Predicate: げだ; before a noun: げな; before a verb: げに.
Explanation
Describe an appearance that suggests an emotion, as in kanashige or fuange. The resulting word behaves like a na-adjective. It is not freely attached to every adjective and often describes another person's observable emotional expression.
Notes
げ is an appearance suffix for feelings, not a verb meaning to give.
Examples
彼女は不安げな顔で時計を見ていました。
She was looking at the clock with an anxious expression.
少年は得意げに自分の作品を見せました。
The boy proudly showed his work.
彼は寂しげに手を振りました。
He waved with a lonely air.
先生は満足げにうなずきました。
The teacher nodded with a satisfied look.
その知らせを聞いて、彼女は悲しげな表情になりました。
On hearing the news, her expression became sorrowful.
How related patterns differ
っぽい describes a resemblance or tendency in established word combinations; げ often describes the appearance of an emotion. がち describes a recurring, often undesirable tendency. ふりをする means deliberately pretending, rather than simply appearing a certain way.