とみえる / とみえて

1. 1Sentence-final: states an inference drawn from visible signs ("it seems that ~").
2. 2Connective とみえて: gives the inference, then the observed fact that supports it ("apparently ~, since ...").Ex. 2

Used mainly in writing and narration to report a conclusion drawn from what the speaker observes, typically about other people, the weather, or outside situations. With とみえて, the inference comes first and the following clause describes the observed evidence. It is stiffer than ようだ or みたいだ.

• ようだN4「ようだ」can also express metaphor; for conjecture its meaning is close to 「とみえる」and the two are roughly interchangeable, but 「ようだ」is neutral in register and leans toward subjective impressions, taking 「の」after nouns and 「な」after na-adjectives, while 「とみえる」takes 「だ」and is more literary.
• らしいN4For conjecture from signs, 「とみえる」is close to 「らしい」; however, 「らしい」can also express hearsay ('I hear that…') and, attached to a noun, mean 'typical of' it, and it is also common in speech. After nouns and na-adjectives, no 「だ」is added, as in 「留守らしい」.
• ところを見るとN2「ところを見ると」only introduces the evidence, with the inference placed in the following clause, which often ends with 「とみえる」or takes 「らしい」「ようだ」and the like — the word order is the reverse of 「とみえて」. It is neutral in register, common in speech as well, and generally not used to conjecture about the speaker's own state.
• みたいだN4「みたいだ」can also express metaphor, which 「とみえる」cannot. Their conjecture meanings are close: 「みたいだ」is colloquial and leans toward subjective impressions, while 「とみえる」is literary and more detached, requiring 「だ」after nouns and na-adjectives, whereas 「みたいだ」attaches directly.

ようだ and みたいだ are general conjecture expressions (みたいだ being casual), and らしい often conveys hearsay, whereas とみえる stresses inference from something directly observed. ところを見ると puts the evidence first and the conclusion second, while とみえて puts the conclusion first and the evidence after it.