Grammar › Hearsay & Appearance
ようだ — “it seems, it's like…”
A softer conclusion drawn from your own observation, or a comparison (“like a…”)
ようだ (plain form for verbs/i-adjectives, な for na-adjectives, の for nouns) expresses a conclusion based on your own senses or reasoning — what you can see, hear, or feel points to this. It also makes similes: 〜のようだ, “like a…”. みたい is the casual spoken equivalent of both uses.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + ようだ | 誰かいるようです — It seems someone's there |
| Na-adj + な + ようだ | 元気なようです — (S)he seems well |
| Noun + の + ようだ (simile) | 天使のような声 — a voice like an angel's |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この料理は少し辛いようです。 | このりょうりはすこしからいようです。 konoryourihasukoshikaraiyoudesu。 | This dish seems a little spicy. |
| 山田さんは疲れているようですね。 | やまださんはつかれているようですね。 yamadasanhatsukareteiruyoudesune。 | Yamada seems tired, doesn't he. |
| 雪のような白い花が咲いていた。 | ゆきのようなしろいはながさいていた。 yukinoyounashiroihanagasaiteita。 | Flowers as white as snow were blooming. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
らしい reports what others say or imply; ようだ reports what you personally observed. 誰かいるらしい (someone's apparently there, I heard) vs 誰かいるようだ (someone seems to be there, I can tell) — pick based on whose evidence you're standing on.