How to tell them apart
ようだ is based on the speaker's own direct impression or observation, while らしい conveys a judgment drawn from information the speaker has heard, read, or otherwise learned rather than witnessed firsthand. Saying あの人は田中先生のようだ means the person physically resembles Tanaka; saying 田中先生はもう帰ったらしい means you heard it from someone. Swapping them feels unnatural because ようだ won't carry the hearsay nuance and らしい won't convey a direct visual likeness.
- ようだ Use ようだ when you are describing your own direct impression or visual resemblance.
- らしい Use らしい when you are reporting something you heard or read but did not witness yourself.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| ようだ youda | It appears that; resembling something | N3 |
| らしい rashii | It seems; apparently so | N4 |
ようだ youda
It appears that; resembling something
ようだ expresses the speaker's impression that something seems to be the case, based on observation. It follows plain-form verbs and い-adjectives, な-adjectives plus な, and nouns plus の. The tone is neutral and works in both spoken and written Japanese.
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彼女は家庭的なハンディキャップに苦しんでいるようだ。
She seems to be laboring under the family handicap.
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彼女は、彼が何を言っているのか理解できないようだ。
She doesn't seem to be able to catch on to what he is saying.
らしい rashii
It seems; apparently so
らしい expresses that something seems or is apparently true, often based on hearsay or indirect information. It attaches directly to the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives, to na-adjectives and nouns without a copula, and follows phrases like によると to mark the source of the information.
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ｉＰｏｄnanoは音質がいいらしい。
Apparently the iPod nano has good sound.
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夜は雨になるらしい。
It's supposed to rain at night.
ようだ and らしい are JLPT N4–N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.