Lesson 110 of 126
The lesson
11.5 ～ようだ・みたいだ — Looks Like / Seems Like
Overview
Learn ～ようだ and ～みたいだ, used to describe how things appear based on direct observation. ～ようだ is more formal; ～みたいだ is casual and very common in conversation.
Core meaning: conclusion from direct observation
Both ～ようだ and ～みたいだ express that something appears to be the case based on what you can directly perceive. They reflect your conclusion from what you see, hear, or sense.
～ようだ (formal)
Attachment:
- Verb plain form + ようだ
- い-adjective + ようだ
- な-adjective + な + ようだ
- Noun + の + ようだ
～みたいだ (casual)
Attaches more simply — directly to plain forms and nouns with no の:
- Verb plain form + みたいだ
- い-adjective + みたいだ
- な-adjective + みたいだ
- Noun + みたいだ
～ようだ vs ～みたいだ vs ～らしい vs ～そうだ
| Pattern | Basis for inference | Formality |
|---|---|---|
| ～ようだ | direct observation | formal |
| ～みたいだ | direct observation | casual |
| ～らしい | indirect/heard | neutral |
| ～そうだ | appearance (verb stem) | neutral |
Note: ～そうだ attached to verb stems expresses how something looks before it happens (雨が降りそうだ = it looks like it's going to rain), while ～ようだ/みたいだ are used after observation.
Dialogue
あAきごう：たなか田中さん、どうしたんですか。 bBきごう：あたまがいたい頭が痛いようです。かおいろがわるいです顔色が悪いですね。
あAきごう：そと外はどうですか。 bBきごう：あめがふっている雨が降っているみたいですよ。かさをもっていった持って行ったほうがいいです。
あAきごう：あのふたり二人、つきあっている付き合っているみたいですね。 bBきごう：そうですね。いつもいっしょに一緒にいますね。
A: What happened to Tanaka-san? B: It appears she has a headache. She doesn't look well.
A: What's it like outside? B: It looks like it's raining. You'd better take an umbrella.
A: It seems like those two are dating. B: Yes, it does. They're always together.
New words
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