Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
らしい primarily conveys two meanings: (1) reporting information heard from someone else or based on indirect evidence (hearsay), and (2) indicating that something strongly exhibits the typical characteristics or qualities of something else.
🎯 Primary Function
To express conjecture or report information based on what one has heard or read, or to describe something that fits a certain image or stereotype.
📋 Grammar Structure
Noun + らしい
い-adjective + らしい
な-adjective (remove な) + らしい
Verb (plain form) + らしい
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used in slightly more formal contexts, especially when reporting information, but often sounds more casual or natural than highly formal expressions.
Informal Situations
Very common in informal speech when sharing things you’ve heard.
Written Language
Used in written language, particularly in less formal articles, blogs, or direct reporting of information (e.g., news articles quoting sources).
Spoken Language
Extremely common in spoken Japanese for sharing information or observations.
💡 Common Applications
Reporting Hearsay
Used to state something you heard from someone else or read somewhere. It means ‘I heard that…’, ‘It seems/appears that…’.
Example: 田中さんは来週結婚するらしいです。(Tanaka-san wa raishuu kekkon suru rashii desu.) – I heard Mr./Ms. Tanaka is getting married next week.
Expressing Conjecture based on Observation
Used when you infer something based on indirect signs or circumstances, even if you didn’t hear it directly. Means ‘It seems…’, ‘It looks like…’.
Example: 窓が開いているから、部屋に誰かいるらしい。(Mado ga aite iru kara, heya ni dareka iru rashii.) – Since the window is open, it seems like someone is in the room.
Indicating Characteristic Quality
Used to say something is typical of or behaves like a certain person, thing, or situation. Means ‘like a…’, ‘typical of…’, ‘so…’.
Example: 彼は男らしい性格だ。(Kare wa otokorashii seikaku da.) – He has a manly personality (a personality typical of a man).
Frequency
Very frequently used in daily conversation and writing.
Difficulty
Medium for N4 learners. Understanding the two main meanings and distinguishing it from similar grammar points requires practice.
Example Sentences
明日は雨が降るらしい。
I heard it will rain tomorrow.
このレストランは美味しいらしいよ。
I heard this restaurant is delicious.
彼女はいつも学生らしい格好をしている。
She always dresses like a student.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Two main meanings
Remember らしい has two distinct uses: reporting hearsay/conjecture and expressing characteristic quality. Context is key to understanding which meaning is intended.
Example: 田中さんはお金持ちらしい。(Tanaka-san wa okane mochi rashii.) – Can mean ‘I heard Mr. Tanaka is rich’ OR ‘Mr. Tanaka is typical of a rich person (acts like one)’ depending on context.
Conjugation
らしい conjugates like an い-adjective: らしく (adverbial), らしくない (negative), らしかった (past), らしくなかった (negative past).
Example: 彼らしくないね。(Kare rashiku nai ne.) – That’s not like him.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using な-adjective with な
✅ Remove な before attaching らしい.
Correct: きれいらしい (kirei rashii), not きれいならしい (kirei na rashii).
❌ Confusing hearsay with direct observation
✅ Use そうだ (appearance) for direct visual observation, らしい for hearsay or indirect observation/inference.
If you see a dark sky and think it will rain: 雨が降りそうだ (Ame ga furi sou da). If you heard it on the news: 雨が降るらしい (Ame ga furu rashii).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Generally neutral, leaning slightly informal in reporting hearsay compared to more formal reporting verbs. The characteristic use is neutral.
Social Situations: Widely used in everyday social interactions to share information or comment on typical behaviors/qualities.
Regional Variations: Standard across most regions, though regional dialects may have alternative ways of expressing similar meanings.
🔍 Subtle Differences
らしい vs. そうだ (hearsay)
らしい implies the information is from a source (heard/read). そうだ implies the information is from a direct report or widely known rumor.
When to use: Use らしい when you heard it from someone specific or from a specific source like the news. Use そうだ when reporting generally known information or rumors without a clear source.
らしい vs. ようだ
らしい (hearsay/characteristic) is often based on a clear source or strong resemblance. ようだ (conjecture/similarity) is based on appearance, feeling, or less certain inference, and can also mean ‘like’. ようだ suggests similarity, while らしい suggests typicality.
When to use: Use らしい for ‘I heard…’ or ‘typical of X’. Use ようだ for ‘It seems like…’ (based on perception) or ‘It’s like X’ (similarity).
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📝 Conjugation Notes
Attaches to plain form of verbs, plain form of い-adjectives, stem (no な) of な-adjectives, and nouns.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounced ‘ra-shii’. The ‘shi’ is slightly elongated due to the double ‘i’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of らしい meaning ‘like’ (in the sense of ‘typical of’) or ‘sounds like’ (in the sense of ‘I heard’).
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct sentence using らしい:
彼は医者ならしいです。
彼は医者らしいです。
彼は医者らしいなです。
彼は医者らしいい。
What does this sentence mean? 明日は晴れるらしいです。
It seems like it will be sunny tomorrow (based on appearance).
I heard it will be sunny tomorrow.
It is typically sunny tomorrow.
It looks exactly like a sunny day tomorrow.
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