N3 Appearance, Tendencies, and Hearsay

~らしい: meaning, usage and examples

~らしい means: -like / typical / seems (hearsay or appearance).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 夏なつらしい服ふくですね。

   That's a very summery outfit.

2. 彼かれは男おとこらしい性格せいかくだ。

   He has a manly personality.

3. 木村きむらさんは来月らいげつ、大阪おおさかに引ひっ越こすらしいです。

   Apparently Mr. Kimura is moving to Osaka next month.

4. 今日きょうは春はるらしい暖あたたかい日ひですね。

   It's a warm, springlike day today, isn't it?

When to use it

らしい has two different meanings. First, "it seems" or "apparently": the speaker passes on something they heard or read, or makes a guess from it: 田中たなかさんは来月らいげつ結婚けっこんするらしい (apparently Mr. Tanaka is getting married next month). Second, after a noun, "typical of" or "like a true example of": 春はるらしい天気てんき (real spring weather), 学生がくせいらしい服ふく (clothes that suit a student).

Nuance

The "it seems" らしい keeps some distance: the speaker is not fully sure and does not take responsibility for the information. The "typical of" らしい is praise or a standard: 男おとこらしい means manly in a good way, and 田中たなかさんらしい means "just like Mr. Tanaka". In this meaning it works as an い-adjective: 春はるらしくない, 春はるらしい日ひ.

Compare

らしい (it seems) vs ようだ / みたい: ようだ is your own judgment from what you see (道みちがぬれている。雨あめが降ふったようだ), while らしい leans on information from others (雨あめが降ふったらしい: I heard it rained). らしい (typical of) vs っぽい: 子こどもらしい praises a child for acting like a child; 子こどもっぽい criticizes someone older for acting like one.

Tip: Look at what comes before it: a whole sentence (休やすむらしい) means "it seems"; a bare noun describing a quality (春はるらしい) usually means "typical of". 大人おとならしい is a compliment, while 大人おとなっぽい means someone looks older than they are.