Typical / Apparently: らしい

Learn how らしい expresses hearsay, typicality, and the sense of being characteristic of something.

Use らしい for reported information and for 'typical of' meanings.Distinguish hearsay らしい from inferential ようだ.Recognize when らしい adds a sense of character or suitability.

Guided study

Reported Information

One common use of らしい is 'apparently' or 'I hear that....' The information usually comes from what the speaker has heard, read, or indirectly learned.

天気予報によると、明日は雪らしい。

According to the weather forecast, apparently it will snow tomorrow.

The speaker is reporting indirect information.

田中さんは来週引っ越すらしい。

Apparently Tanaka is moving next week.

The speaker heard this somewhere.

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