Japanese has several ways to say "it seems like." This article covers ようだ (and its colloquial counterpart みたいだ).
The Core of ようだ: Personal Feeling
The judgment expressed by ようだ comes from yourself -- intuition, experience, habit, or physical senses (taste, smell, touch, hearing).
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部屋に誰かが入ったようだ。 → It seems like someone came into the room. (The shoes look out of place, there's a faint sound -- something you noticed yourself.)
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この薬を飲むと体が楽になるようだ。 → After taking this medicine, my body seems to feel better. (Your own physical sensation.)
ようだ = I'm making a judgment based on my own feeling. It may not be accurate, but it's my intuition.
Conjugation Patterns
| Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb plain/た-form + ようだ | 入ったようだ |
| い-adjective + ようだ | 寒いようだ |
| な-adjective + な + ようだ | 元気なようだ |
| Noun + の + ようだ | 男のようだ |
Note: な-adjectives take な, and nouns take の before ようだ.
Three Uses of ようだ
1. Conjecture -- It seems like...
The most basic usage, expressing "I feel like it's probably this way."
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あそこにいるのは男のようだ。 → The person over there seems to be a man. (Short hair, strong build -- my own judgment.)
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昨日の仕事の疲れが残っているようだ。 → The fatigue from yesterday's work seems to still be lingering. (My own feeling.)
2. Simile -- Like..., as if...
Used to make comparisons.
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鳥のように空を飛びたい。 → I want to fly through the sky like a bird.
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鳥が死ぬような環境では、人間も住めなくなる。 → In an environment where even birds would die, humans couldn't live either.
3. Softening -- If that's the case...
Used to make statements sound softer and more indirect.
- 明日も休むようでしたら、辞表を出してもらいます。 → If you're going to be absent tomorrow as well, I'll need you to submit your resignation.
みたいだ = Colloquial Version of ようだ
In everyday conversation, Japanese speakers more commonly use みたいだ.
| ようだ (formal) | みたいだ (colloquial) |
|---|---|
| ようだ | みたいだ |
| ように | みたいに |
| ような | みたいな |
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あの人は先生のようだ。 = あの人は先生みたいだ。 → That person seems to be a teacher.
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子供のように遊ぶ。 = 子供みたいに遊ぶ。 → Play like a child.
Conjugation difference: みたいだ attaches directly to nouns and な-adjective stems without な or の.
Classical Form: ごとし
In proverbs and literary works, you may encounter the classical form of ようだ:
| Form | Position |
|---|---|
| ごとし | End of sentence |
| ごとく | Modifies verbs |
| ごとき | Modifies nouns |
- 光陰矢のごとし。 → Time flies like an arrow.
Self-Test
Q1. 「この薬を飲むと体が楽になる＿＿。」(I feel like my body got better) -- ようだ or らしい?
Show answer
ようだ. This is your own physical sensation, so you use ようだ. If you read it on the medicine's label or heard it from someone else, then you'd use らしい.
Q2. Convert 「あの人は先生のようだ」 to colloquial speech.
Show answer
あの人は先生みたいだ。 みたいだ attaches directly to the noun without の.
Q3. Is 「明日も休むようでしたら」 conjecture, simile, or softening?
Show answer
Softening. ようだ makes "if you're going to be absent tomorrow too" sound softer and more indirect.
Summary
- ようだ = a judgment based on personal feeling (intuition, experience, physical senses)
- Three uses: conjecture (it seems like), simile (like), softening
- みたいだ = colloquial version of ようだ
- ごとし = classical version of ようだ (common in proverbs)
- Nouns take のようだ, or attach directly to みたいだ