What does ～らしい (hearsay / appearance) mean? Japanese grammar N4

How to use it

Conveys information that isn't fully confirmed, or an inference based on hearsay and indirect signs.

• らしい in the reporting sense shows that the information seems credible, but the speaker doesn't confirm it directly. It's more flexible than そうだ and can carry a bit of inference.
• Nouns and na-adjectives connect directly, without だ: 学生らしい, 元気らしい. This must be distinguished from Nらしい meaning "truly N-like," which evaluates a characteristic.

Examples

• うわさでは、駅前(えきまえ)に新(あたら)しい店(みせ)ができるらしいです。

  According to the rumor, a new shop will apparently open by the station.

• 田中(たなか)さんは今日(きょう)は来(こ)ないらしいです。

  Apparently, Tanaka is not coming today.

Common mistakes

• Wrong田中(たなか)さんは学生(がくせい)だらしいです。

  Correct田中(たなか)さんは学生(がくせい)らしいです。

  A noun connects directly with らしい, without keeping だ. This rule differs from だそうだ.

Exam tips

• N + だそうだ but N + らしい: exams often test exactly this difference regarding だ.

Related patterns

• ～そうだ（hearsay）
• ～ようだ
• ～らしい（characteristic）