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 conjecture based on observation, meaning it appears that, and comparison meaning like or as. It follows plain form verbs and i-adjectives, as in ないようだ or 高いようだ, while nouns take のようだ and na-adjectives take なようだ. Before a noun it becomes ような, and as an adverbial it becomes ように, with past tense ようだった and negative ようではない. It is neutral in style for speech and writing, and comparison use often pairs with particles like の or と.
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彼は先生に向いてないように見える。
He seems not to be cut out for teaching.
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日本のような国でさえ殺人事件は増えている。
The number of murders is increasing even in a country like Japan.
らしい rashii
It seems; apparently so
らしい expresses hearsay or inference, meaning it seems or apparently, when the speaker reports information learned from others or judges from indirect evidence. It follows the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives, as in できているらしい or おいしいらしい, and follows nouns and na-adjective stems directly in the present, as in 病気らしい or 知り合いらしい. For past meaning, use forms like できたらしい or だったらしい. It sounds slightly formal and keeps distance, so avoid it for stating your own direct experience or certain facts.
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その犬は病気だったらしい。
The dog seems to have been sick.
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おい、今度の新人かわいいらしいぜ。
Hey, the new recruit this time seems really cute.
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.