らしい · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | らしい | らしくない |
| Polite | らしいです | らしくないですalso らしくありません |
| Past polite | らしかったです | らしくなかったですalso らしくありませんでした |
| Past | らしかった | らしくなかった |
| Te-form | らしくて | らしくなくて |
| Adverbial | らしく | |
| Conditional | らしければ | らしくなければ |
| Tara conditional | らしかったら | らしくなかったら |
i-adjective, auxiliary adjective
seems; appears; I hear that
Expresses a judgment based on evidence, reason, or reliable hearsay. Attaches to the plain form of verbs, adjectives, or nouns. Unlike そうだ (hearsay), らしい implies the speaker has some objective grounds for the inference.
According to the weather forecast, it seems it will rain tomorrow.
It seems he has already gone home. The lights are off.
-ish; typical of; worthy of
Attaches to nouns, adverb stems, or adjective stems to mean 'typical of', 'appropriate for', or 'having the qualities of'. Often used to express that something lives up to the ideal or expected image of that noun. Can be translated as '-like', '-ish', or 'worthy of the name ...'.
He has a very scholar-like way of thinking.
Today is a warm day, just like spring should be.
That person is truly a teacher worthy of the name.
It seems it's going to rain.
That's an action typical of him.
He seems to be a student.
It's not like him to say something like that.
らしい means 'typical of' or conveys hearsay and is generally neutral or positive, whereas たらしい is a distinct suffix carrying negative connotation.
らしい is the standard auxiliary for hearsay or conjecture, whereas ってな is a casual particle that adds a conversational 'you know' flavor.
らしい signals an inference based on hearsay or outward appearance, while 筈 signals a stronger, reasoned certainty that something should be the case.
らしい suggests 'apparently' based on indirect evidence or rumor with a slightly detached nuance, while そうです in the hearsay sense more directly reports what was said or heard.
らしい reports hearsay with a slightly more neutral, written-friendly tone, while sentence-final とか is casual and implies the speaker isn't fully committed.
らしい conveys the speaker's inference that something seems to be the case, while がる specifically marks a person's observable display of feeling or attitude.
human; humane; like a decent person
absurd; ridiculous; foolish; silly
unnatural; affected; forced; studied
dirty-looking; filthy; disgusting; squalid
womanly; ladylike; feminine
ridiculous; absurd; foolish
plausible; believable; specious · solemn; dignified; serious
decent; human; like a proper person
honest-looking; sincere-seeming
feminine; womanly; female-like
queen-like; queenly; befitting a queen
lovely; sweet; charming
motherly; maternal
fatherly; paternal
probable; likely; seems certain
true to oneself; like oneself; characteristic of oneself