“〜yō da vs 〜sō da vs 〜rashii”: The Three Conjecture Brothers [JLPT N4]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
Master the three Japanese conjecture brothers to take your Japanese up a level!
“〜yō da vs 〜sō da vs 〜rashii”: The Three Conjecture Brothers
These three all express conjecture “seems 〜,” but differ in evidence (what the conjecture is based on): ① そうだ (appearance) = ‘looks about to 〜, seems 〜' (based on immediate appearance/signs of something about to happen: 雨が降りそうだ = looks about to rain, おいしそう = looks delicious); ② ようだ／みたいだ = ‘seems 〜' (based on one's own综合 observation, indirect clues: 足音がするから誰か来たようだ = from the footsteps, someone seems to have come); ③ らしい = ‘I hear 〜, apparently 〜' (based on hearsay, external info: ニュースによると雨らしい = according to the news, it'll apparently rain). ⚠️ Core: そうだ from immediate appearance/signs, ようだ from one's own observation, らしい from hearsay.
🧠 Core nuance: based on what? appearance / one's own observation / hearsay
The core is all three conjecture ‘seems,' differing in what the judgment is based on (the evidence source): ① そうだ (appearance) — based on immediate appearance, signs of something about to happen (seeing/sensing it's about to happen: 空が暗いから雨が降りそうだ = the sky's dark so it looks about to rain, このケーキ甘そう = this cake looks sweet), attaching to the verb ます-form (降りそう), adjective stem (甘そう); ② ようだ／みたいだ — based on one's own综合 observation, reasoning from indirect evidence (judging from multiple clues: 玄関に靴があるから誰か来ているようだ = there are shoes at the entrance so someone seems to have come), more confident, objective; ③ らしい — based on hearsay, external info (I heard, per a report: 天気予報によると明日は雨らしい = per the forecast, it'll apparently rain tomorrow), from what's heard. ⚠️ Core contrast: そうだ = immediate appearance/signs (looks about to …); ようだ = one's own综合 observation (judging from clues); らしい = hearsay (I heard)! ⚠️ Note: 「そうだ」 has two senses — appearance (verb ます-form/adjective stem ＋ そう: 降りそう = looks about to rain) and hearsay (plain form ＋ そうだ: 降るそうだ = I hear it'll rain); hearsay そうだ is close to らしい. The core distinction of N4 conjecture.
📌 Connection/Evidence Comparison
| Expression | Evidence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| そうだ (appearance) | immediate appearance/signs | 雨が降りそうだ |
| ようだ/みたいだ | one's own综合 observation | 誰か来たようだ |
| らしい | hearsay, external info | 雨らしい |
| そうだ (hearsay) | I hear (≒ らしい) | 雨が降るそうだ |
💬 Example Sentences
- 空が暗くなってきた。雨が降りそうだ。(The sky's getting dark. It looks about to rain.) — そうだ (appearance, from looks)
- このケーキ、とても甘そうですね。(This cake looks very sweet.) — そうだ (appearance)
- 部屋の電気がついている。誰かいるようだ。(The room's light is on. Someone seems to be here.) — ようだ (综合 observation)
- 天気予報によると、明日は雨らしい。(According to the forecast, it'll apparently rain tomorrow.) — らしい (hearsay)
- 彼は来月、結婚するらしいよ。(I hear he's getting married next month.) — らしい (hearsay)
🔄 Compare: そうだ(appearance) vs ようだ vs らしい vs そうだ(hearsay)
| Expression | Evidence/Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| そうだ (appearance) | immediate appearance/signs (looks about to 〜) | 降りそう |
| ようだ/みたいだ | one's own综合 observation (judging from clues) | 来たようだ |
| らしい | hearsay, external info (I heard) | 雨らしい |
| そうだ (hearsay) | I hear (plain form ＋ そうだ, ≒ らしい) | 降るそうだ |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Different evidence: そうだ (appearance) = immediate appearance/signs; ようだ = one's own综合 observation; らしい = hearsay — don't confuse!
- そうだ's two senses: appearance (ます-form/stem ＋ そう: 降りそう) vs hearsay (plain form ＋ そうだ: 降るそうだ), different connections.
- Connection: appearance そう attaches to the verb ます-form/adjective stem; ようだ requires の after a noun; らしい attaches to the plain form.
- らしい = hearsay: らしい is based on heard info (ニュースによると…らしい).
💡 Nuance & When to Use
The three conjecture brothers differ in evidence: そうだ (appearance) = based on immediate appearance/signs (雨が降りそう = looks about to rain); ようだ／みたいだ = based on one's own综合 observation, reasoning from clues (誰か来たようだ); らしい = based on hearsay, external info (雨らしい = I hear it'll rain). ⚠️ Note 「そうだ」 has both appearance and hearsay senses (降りそう appearance vs 降るそうだ hearsay). Remember: そうだ signs, ようだ observation, らしい hearsay. The core distinction of N4 conjecture. A must.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- N4 core: そうだ (appearance, from looks/signs), ようだ/みたいだ (from one's own综合 observation), らしい (from hearsay).
- Core distinction: そうだ (immediate appearance, looks about to 〜) vs ようだ (one's own observation, from clues) vs らしい (hearsay, I heard).
- Note: そうだ's two senses — appearance (ます-form ＋ そう) vs hearsay (plain form ＋ そうだ, ≒ らしい).
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. 彼女は明日来る_____。(based on hearsay)
(A) そうだ (B) ようだ (C) らしい (D) みたいだ
Q2. このケーキは甘___。(it looks sweet — appearance)
(A) ようだ (B) そうだ (C) らしい (D) みたいだ
Q3. 彼は学生_____。(based on hearsay; attaching to a noun)
(A) そうだ (B) ようだ (C) らしい (D) みたいだ
Q4. 雨が降り_____。(it looks like it'll rain — appearance)
(A) ようだ (B) そうだ (C) らしい (D) みたいだ
Q5. あの映画は面白い_____。(based on hearsay)
(A) そうだ (B) ようだ (C) らしい (D) みたいだ
Answer Key
1. (C) らしい ── inference based on hearsay (来るらしい). そうだ here isn't direct observation; ようだ doesn't suit hearsay.
2. (B) そうだ ── 様態 そうだ = inference from appearance: 甘そうだ (drop the い). (Hearsay そうだ would be 甘いそうだ.)
3. (C) らしい ── hearsay attaching to a noun: 学生らしい. 様態 そうだ can't attach to a noun.
4. (B) そうだ ── appearance/imminence: 降りそうだ = it looks about to rain.
5. (C) らしい ── hearsay: 面白いらしい.