らしい ① (Seems like)

Seems like, Apparently, I heard

JLPT N4
Pattern

Plain form + らしい

How it works

らしい means “apparently / I hear”: a guess based on information from others. Nouns and な-adjectives attach directly: 雨らしい. It sounds less direct than そうだ (hearsay).

Examples

  • あしたは 雨らしいです。Apparently it'll rain tomorrow.
  • 田中さんは 会社を やめた らしい。It seems Tanaka quit the company.

Related grammar

Further reading

Bunpro N4 · Lesson 4

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