Another answer already explains the meaning of -ish, but I'd like to address this question you also asked:
can I add -ish to any adjective to convey a same-ish meaning?
My answer to that would be: perhaps – but don't overdo it.
The suffix works well for some adjectives, such as colors:
They're so slow that sedentary that algae grows on their coats, giving sloths a greenish tint that can be used as camouflage in the trees. (Indianapolis Star, 2018)
However, I would NOT recommend applying the suffix haphazardly to just about any adjective. There are many cases where an -ish suffix would sound, well, amateurish, where it would probably be better to avoid using it, especially in formal contexts.
For example, consider size adjectives. Adjectives that connote extremes (such as tiny, infinitesimal, massive, or vast) don't work very well with -ish, and the ngrams reflect that.
Also, if a friend asked if I was hungry, I suppose I could say, "I'm hungryish," but most natives would opt for a phrase like, "I'm kind of hungry," or "I'm a little hungry," instead, and the ngrams support that, too.
Other adjectives that sound odd with -ish would include: delicious, tired, or miserable, but faint and loud seem to work okay:
Two-thirds the way along the Arcturus-to-Vega line brings you to a pattern of four faintish stars resembling the shape of the stone block (The Telegraph, 2017)
On Monday night, a few dozen noodleists came out for cocktails, soup, loudish Ramones and the bar's retro, antique-radio vibe. (New York Times, 2014).
If your spellchecker puts a red squiggly line under a word with -ish, it might be better to use an adverb like rather instead. (For example: He was rather thirsty after the game might be a safer option than He was thirstyish after the game.)
3ish = 'or thereabouts' – mcalex – 2019-04-02T09:16:27.120
2Whenever I hear someone say 'this-or-that-ish', I append in my mind the words: 'Well, sort of!' – yunzen – 2019-04-02T09:19:37.977
"... they are all converging to similar posterior(u)r values". And "same-ish" would imply that they values were similar enough for whatever purpose they were being used. – alephzero – 2019-04-02T13:24:11.300
It is common English colloquial usage. See this post: When is it appropriate, if at all, to use the suffix “ish”?.
– rghome – 2019-04-02T16:30:57.4931I agree with your conclusion that it "reduces the extent of X-ness". In this sentence I would replace "the same-ish" by "almost the same" or "roughly the same" – Michael Kay – 2019-04-02T22:07:01.387
Your second question is a dupe of the question rghome linked to, and you should only ask a single question per question anyway. (Notice how different answers are responding to different questions. That's what we want to avoid.) You might want to edit out the second question. – Kat – 2019-04-02T22:19:18.567
1To the extent of my Chinese knowledge, it means "差不多” – The Photon – 2019-04-03T00:54:57.790