~らしい
〜rashii
JLPT N3 Neutral
Formation
Verb-casual + らしい, い-Adjective + らしい, な-Adjective + だらしい, Noun + だらしい
Expresses hearsay; 'I heard', 'it seems', 'apparently'.
When to use
Hearsay-based - "I heard that/apparently", based on external information rather than personal judgment.
Explanation
The ~らしい grammar point is used to indicate that the information provided is based on hearsay or an indirect source. In English, this can be translated as 'I heard', 'it seems', or 'apparently'. The formation differs depending on whether it is used with a verb, い-adjective, な-adjective, or noun.
Example sentences
Inference (It Seems / Probably)
- ~だろう〜darouN4Express probability, likelihood or certainty; 'probably'…
- ~ようだ〜you daN4Expresses appearance, similarity or inference; 'it seems'…
- ~ということだ〜to iu koto daN3Express a conclusion or hearsay; 'I heard', 'it means'…
- ~んだって〜n datteN3Conveys information heard from someone else; 'I heard'…
- ~かもしれない〜kamoshirenaiN4Express uncertainty; 'maybe', 'might', 'possibly'.
- もしかすると〜かもしれないmoshikasuru to 〜kamoshirenaiN3Express the possibility of something; 'maybe', 'perhaps'…
- ~とのことだ〜to no koto daN1Expresses something that the speaker heard; 'I've heard…
- ~とみえて〜to mieteN1It seems that; apparently
- ~まい〜maiN2Express a negative conjecture or determination; 'probably…
- ~そうだ〜sou daN4Express the appearance, seeming, or feeling of something…
- ~に決まっている〜ni kimatte iruN2Express certainty; 'it is obvious', 'it must be', 'no…
Corpus examples (60)
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It seems that he believes what he said is right.
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It seems we have an extravagant guest.
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A gift of cheesecake is apparently good to soothe discord.
この辺の意地悪婆さんが雷に打たれて頓死したらしい。まさに天罰覿面だとうちの母さんが言う。
It seems the mean old woman that lived around here was struck by lightning and suddenly died. My mother says it's truly a case of the swiftness of Heaven's vengeance.
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I hear there are many foxes in this area, but I rarely see any.
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They don't seem to be Americans.
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Among wild ducks, it seems there are homosexual necrophiliacs.
本当に悪いんだけど、君の襟巻き、どっかに置いてきてしまったらしいんだよ。
I'm really sorry, but I seem to have misplaced your scarf.
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I hear you have been sick.
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I hear their marriage is on the rocks and they'll probably file for divorce soon.
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He seems to have been rich before.
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It seems that he was a great athlete.
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It is likely that he did it on purpose.
僕の聞いたのとは違うな。奥さんとよりを戻そうとしているらしいよ。
That's not what I heard. I heard he's patching everything up with his wife.
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A doctor told me that eating eggs was bad for me.
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Yup, it seems like even the doctor was about to throw in the towel.
健康法の一つに、発音できない原材料を含む食品は一切口にしない、というものがあるらしい。
I heard that one way to stay healthy is to avoid eating any food with unpronounceable ingredients.
どうやら19号線で交通渋滞があったもんだから、トムは遅刻したらしいよ。
Apparently, Tom was late because there was a traffic jam on Rt. 19.
朝勉強した方が効率がいいらしい。朝の1時間は夜の3時間にあたいするそうだ。
I hear that studying in the morning is more effective. Studying one hour in the morning is as good as three hours at night.
彼は取りあえず借金は返済したらしいが、一体あんな大金を誰が都合したのだろうか。
Well, it seems he's paid off his debts for now, but who on Earth arranged that amount of money?
しかし僕だけではなく、もうひとり—いや、もう一匹の珍客がいたらしい。
However, it was not just me – there was one more person, no, one more creature visiting.
トムってね、メアリーが頬を赤らめ恥じらう姿に一目惚れしたらしいよ。
Tom seems to have fallen in love with Mary at first sight looking embarrassed and blushing.
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He seems to be involved in that matter.
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I seem to have caught cold. I'm a little feverish.
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He seems to have caught a cold.