What is 〜らしい (rashii)?
〜らしい expresses inference or hearsay, meaning "apparently," "it seems," or "I hear." It indicates you've gathered information from various sources or made a conclusion based on evidence.
雨が降るらしい
"Apparently it will rain / It seems it will rain"
彼は忙しいらしい
"Apparently he's busy / He seems to be busy"
Formation
With Verbs (Plain Form)
降る → 降るらしい
"apparently will rain"
降った → 降ったらしい
"apparently rained"
降らない → 降らないらしい
"apparently won't rain"
With I-adjectives
高い → 高いらしい
"apparently expensive"
高かった → 高かったらしい
"apparently was expensive"
高くない → 高くないらしい
"apparently not expensive"
With Na-adjectives
便利 → 便利らしい
"apparently convenient"
便利だった → 便利だったらしい
"apparently was convenient"
便利じゃない → 便利じゃないらしい
"apparently not convenient"
With Nouns
学生 → 学生らしい
"apparently a student"
雨 → 雨らしい
"apparently rain"
休み → 休みらしい
"apparently a holiday"
Core Meanings
1. Hearsay/Inference (apparently)
Information gathered from indirect sources:
明日は雨らしい
"Apparently it will rain tomorrow"
彼は結婚したらしい
"Apparently he got married"
そのレストランはおいしいらしい
"That restaurant is apparently delicious"
2. Typical/Characteristic (-like)
Something is typical or characteristic of its kind:
春らしい天気
"spring-like weather"
学生らしい質問
"a student-like question"
彼らしい考え方
"a way of thinking typical of him"
Hearsay Usage
Indicating Information Source
噂によると、彼は転勤するらしい
"According to rumors, he's apparently transferring"
ニュースで見たけど、明日は寒いらしい
"I saw on the news, apparently it will be cold tomorrow"
Softer than そうだ
らしい is slightly less direct than そうだ for hearsay:
More direct: 雨が降るそうだ
"I heard it will rain"
Softer: 雨が降るらしい
"Apparently it will rain / It seems it will rain"
Comparison with Similar Patterns
らしい vs そうだ (hearsay)
らしい: Vague/multiple sources
彼は忙しいらしい
"He's apparently busy" (I've heard/gathered)
そうだ: Clear, specific source
彼は忙しいそうだ
"I heard he's busy" (someone told me)
らしい vs みたい vs ようだ
らしい: Hearsay/inference
雨が降るらしい
"Apparently it will rain"
みたい: Personal observation/similarity
雨が降るみたい
"It looks like it will rain"
ようだ: Logical conclusion
雨が降るようだ
"It appears it will rain"
Typical/Characteristic Usage
Noun + らしい = "like/typical of"
春らしい天気
"spring-like weather"
彼らしい
"typical of him / like him"
女性らしい
"feminine / lady-like"
男性らしい
"masculine / manly"
子供らしい
"child-like / childish"
Common Patterns
〜らしいです (polite)
明日は雨らしいです
"Apparently it will rain tomorrow"
彼は来ないらしいです
"Apparently he won't come"
〜らしい (casual)
明日は雨らしい
"Apparently it will rain tomorrow"
おいしいらしいよ
"Apparently it's delicious"
どうやら〜らしい (it appears)
Emphasizes conclusion:
どうやら彼は来ないらしい
"It appears he won't come"
どうやら間違いらしい
"It appears to be a mistake"
Negative Forms
With Verbs
来ないらしい
"Apparently won't come"
行かなかったらしい
"Apparently didn't go"
With Adjectives
おいしくないらしい
"Apparently not delicious"
便利じゃないらしい
"Apparently not convenient"
Common Conversations
Example 1: Weather
A: 明日の天気、知ってる？
"Do you know tomorrow's weather?"
B: 雨らしいよ
"Apparently rain"
A: じゃあ、傘を持って行こう
"Then let's bring umbrellas"
Example 2: News
A: 田中さん、最近見ないね
"I haven't seen Tanaka lately"
B: 転勤したらしい
"Apparently he transferred"
A: そうなんだ
"I see"
Example 3: Restaurant
A: あの新しいレストラン、どう？
"How about that new restaurant?"
B: おいしいらしいよ。みんな言ってる
"Apparently it's delicious. Everyone says so"
A: じゃあ、行ってみよう
"Then let's try going"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Confusing meanings
Hearsay: 彼は学生らしい
"He's apparently a student"
Typical: 学生らしい質問
"A student-like question"
Context determines meaning!
Mistake 2: Using だ before らしい with na-adjectives
Wrong: 便利だらしい ❌
Right: 便利らしい ✓
"Apparently convenient"
But for past:
Right: 便利だったらしい ✓
"Apparently was convenient"
Special Expressions
〜らしくない (not typical of)
彼らしくない
"Not like him / uncharacteristic of him"
春らしくない天気
"Un-spring-like weather"
〜らしく (in a ~ manner)
Adverb form:
男らしく振る舞う
"Behave in a manly way"
学生らしく勉強する
"Study like a student should"
どうやら〜らしい
どうやら雨が降るらしい
"It appears it will rain"
どうやら間違いらしい
"It appears to be a mistake"
With Different Tenses
Present
彼は忙しいらしい
"He's apparently busy"
明日は雨らしい
"Apparently it will rain tomorrow"
Past
昨日は雨だったらしい
"Apparently it rained yesterday"
彼は忙しかったらしい
"He was apparently busy"
Indicating Certainty Level
Less Certain
たぶん雨が降るらしい
"Probably it will apparently rain"
もしかしたら来ないらしい
"Perhaps he apparently won't come"
Politeness Levels
Casual
雨らしい
"Apparently rain"
おいしいらしいよ
"Apparently delicious"
Polite
雨らしいです
"Apparently it's rain"
おいしいらしいですよ
"Apparently it's delicious"
Typical/Characteristic Examples
Seasons
春らしい天気
"spring-like weather"
夏らしい暑さ
"summer-like heat"
秋らしい涼しさ
"autumn-like coolness"
Gender (traditional usage)
女性らしい
"feminine / lady-like"
男性らしい
"masculine / manly"
Note: These can be considered stereotypical in modern usage
Age Groups
子供らしい
"child-like"
大人らしい
"adult-like / mature"
若者らしい
"youth-like / young"
Personal Character
彼らしい
"typical of him / like him"
彼女らしい
"typical of her / like her"
自分らしい
"true to oneself"
Practice Sentences
Hearsay
明日は雨らしい
"Apparently it will rain tomorrow"
彼は結婚したらしい
"Apparently he got married"
そのレストランはおいしいらしい
"That restaurant is apparently delicious"
会議は中止らしいです
"The meeting is apparently cancelled"
Past Hearsay
昨日は暑かったらしい
"Apparently it was hot yesterday"
彼は忙しかったらしい
"He was apparently busy"
パーティーは楽しかったらしい
"The party was apparently fun"
Negative
彼は来ないらしい
"Apparently he won't come"
おいしくないらしい
"Apparently it's not delicious"
便利じゃないらしい
"Apparently it's not convenient"
Typical/Characteristic
春らしい天気ですね
"It's spring-like weather, isn't it"
彼らしい考え方だ
"That's a way of thinking typical of him"
学生らしい質問
"A student-like question"
自分らしく生きる
"Live true to oneself"
Related Grammar Points
- 〜そう (sou) - Looks like / I heard
- 〜みたい (mitai) - Looks like/seems
- 〜ようだ (you da) - It appears/seems
- 〜っぽい (ppoi) - Seems like/tends to
- Reporting Speech - Hearsay patterns
- 〜によると - According to