Skip to main content
Gogaku

All N4 grammar

N4

〜らしい

Apparently, I hear… (inference from what was heard)machine translation

FormationPlain form + らしい (nouns and な-adjectives attach directly, no だ)

〜らしい expresses an inference based on information heard from outside: 田中さんは会社を休むらしい (apparently Tanaka is taking time off work). The speaker didn't witness it directly but relies on rumor, news, or something overheard — and doesn't take full responsibility for its accuracy.

Connection: plain form + らしい; nouns and な-adjectives attach directly, without だ: 学生らしい, 元気らしい. らしい conjugates like an い-adjective: らしいです, らしかった.

Distinguish it within the inference family: hearsay 〜そうです relays what was heard as-is (often with the source marked by によると), while らしい is heard information filtered through the speaker's own inference; 〜ようだ, by contrast, rests on your own direct observation. Also, noun + らしい can mean "true to type": 男らしい (manly, every inch a man), 日本らしい (quintessentially Japanese).

Examples

Related patterns

All N4 grammarReport a content error