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JLPT N4 grammar comparison

〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like" vs 〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of"

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The difference

From the 〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like" lesson

〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of": らしい relies on what you heard from others. ようだ / みたいだ is your own inference from what you sense.

From the 〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of" lesson

〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like": ようだ is based on the speaker's own observation. N のようだ = looks like (but is not); N らしい = truly typical of.

Side by side

〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like"

you da / mitai da · JLPT N4

Meaning
Judgement based on the speaker's observation or senses ("it seems"), or a resemblance ("like").
Formation
V-plain + ようだ / みたいだ: 来たようだ, 来たみたいだい-adjective + ようだ / みたいだ: 高いようだな-adjective + なようだ / + みたいだ: 静かなようだ / 静かみたいだNoun + のようだ / + みたいだ: 学生のようだ / 学生みたいだAdverb: ように / みたいに; before a noun: ような / みたいな

  1. 誰かが来たようです。

    だれかが きたようです。

    It seems someone has come.

  2. 彼女は人形のようにかわいい。

    かのじょは にんぎょうのように かわいい。

    She is as cute as a doll.

Full lesson on 〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like"

〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of"

rashii · JLPT N4

Meaning
(1) Conjecture based on external information, weaker commitment than そうだ (hearsay); (2) N + らしい = "typical of / true to being".
Formation
V-plain + らしい: 辞めるらしい, 引っ越したらしいい-adjective + らしい: 高いらしいな-adjective / Noun + らしい (no だ): 静からしい, 学生らしいN + らしい (typical of): 春らしい, 男らしい, 先生らしいConjugates as い-adjective: らしくない, らしかった, らしくて

  1. 山田さんは会社を辞めるらしい。

    やまださんは かいしゃを やめるらしい。

    Apparently Yamada is quitting the company.

  2. 隣の家に新しい人が引っ越してきたらしいです。

    となりの いえに あたらしい ひとが ひっこしてきたらしいです。

    It seems new people have moved in next door.

Full lesson on 〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of"

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like" and 〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of"?

らしい relies on what you heard from others. ようだ / みたいだ is your own inference from what you sense.

When do you use 〜らしい "seems (from what I hear) / typical of" instead of 〜ようだ / 〜みたいだ "it seems / it appears / like"?

ようだ is based on the speaker's own observation. N のようだ = looks like (but is not); N らしい = truly typical of.