Appearances and hearsay

We often make deductions based on appearances and observations. In this section, we will learn how to describe what things appear to be based on our own and other people's observations.

Appearance or manner

The noun 「よう」（様） is the most generic word used to describe an appearance or manner of a state or action.

Example

1. 彼女 【かの・じょ】 -she; girlfriend
2. 学生 【がく・せい】 - student
3. 映画 【えい・が】 - movie
4. 見る　【み・る】 - to see; to watch
5. 好き 【す・き】(na-adj) - likable
6. 友達　【とも・だち】 - friend
7. もう - already
8. 帰る 【かえ・る】(u-verb) - to go home

1. 彼女は、学生のようだ。
   She appears to be (a) student.
2. 映画を見るのが好きなようですね。
   (It) appears (you) like to watch movie(s).
3. 友達は、もう帰ったようです。
   Looks like friend went home already.

Outward appearance (casual)

「よう」 may, at times, sound somewhat formal and stiff. For casual situations, you can substitute 「みたい」 for 「よう」 to describe what something/someone looks like or appears to be.

「みたい」 at first glance, looks identical to 「見たい」 meaning "want to see". You could even say it has a similar meaning as an outward appearance is how one wants to see something. However, the key difference is that while all verbs in the 「～たい」 form such as 「見たい」 conjugate as an i-adjective, this 「みたい」 acts like a noun same as 「よう」.

Example

1. 明日 【あした】 - tomorrow
2. 雨 【あめ】 - rain
3. この - this
4. ぬいぐるみ - stuffed toy
5. 犬　【いぬ】 - dog
6. 今朝 【け・さ】 - this morning
7. 頭 【あたま】 - head
8. まだ - yet; still
9. 風邪 【かぜ】 - cold (illness)
10. 引く 【ひ・く】(u-verb) - to pull

1. 明日は雨みたいだよ。
   Tomorrow looks like rain, you know.
2. このぬいぐるみは犬みたいじゃない？
   Doesn't this stuffed toy look like (a) dog?
3. 今朝も頭が痛いからまだ風邪を引いているみたいです。
   (My) head hurt this morning as well so it looks like (I) still have a cold.
4. 彼の奥さんはすごくかわいいみたいよ。
   His wife is apparently amazingly cute, you know.

Guessing from observation

In English, "seems like" or "looks like" is also used to made an educated guess. In Japanese, this is expressed by appending 「そう」 to the verb or adjective with the following rules. The resulting word becomes a na-adjective.

Example

1. これ、とてもおいしそう！
   This looks very tasty!
2. 彼女は、子供もいないし、仕事もしないから、とても暇そうじゃない？
   Doesn't (she) seem to be very free because she has no kids and doesn't do (a) job?

Expressing hearsay

In order to express what something appears to be based on what one heard from other people, we append 「そうだ」 (or 「そうです」) to the verb clause. At first glance, this grammar looks very similar to the previous grammar, however, the grammar rules are different. Also, this grammar must end in 「だ」 or 「です」 (for polite speech).

Appearance from hearsay or behavior

「らしい」 is another grammatical expression that expresses either hearsay or behavior. When used to express hearsay, unlike 「～そう」 from the previous section, it can be used to express impressions from non-specific hearsay rather than something specific that was said. Simply attach 「らしい」 to the end of the clause to express hearsay or behavior. It conjugates just like a regular i-adjective.

Examples of hearsay

1. 今年新しく出来た遊園地は大きくてとても楽しいらしいよ。
   It seems (based on hearsay) that (the) new amusement park that was built this year is very big and fun.
2. 赤ちゃんは、生後の数か月は母乳で育てるのが一番いいらしい。
   (I) heard that it's best to raise baby by breast milk for few months after birth.

Examples of behavior

1. 約束時間に遅れるのは、彼らしくない。
   (It's) not like him to be late to the promised time.
2. あの子はとてもしっかりしていて、子供らしくないです。
   That child is very reliable and doesn't act like a child.
3. 男らしいと言うのは、人によって意味が違うでしょう。
   "Acting like a man" will probably have different meanings depending on the person.

Slang expression for similarity

A casual way to express similarity is to attach 「っぽい」 to the word that reflects the resemblance. Because this is a very casual expression, you can use it as a casual version for the different types of expression for similarity covered above （よう、みたい、らしい）. It conjugates just like a regular i-adjective.

Example

1. 今日は、雨っぽいから、傘を持ってきた。
   Today seems like (it's going to) rain so (I) brought (an) umbrella.
2. 最近は、寒くてちょっと風邪っぽいよ。
   Lately, (it's) cold and seems like (I have a) cold.
3. アリスはちょっと男っぽくない？
   Isn't Alice a little manly?