らしいrashii
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- i-adjective, auxiliary adjectiveseeming ...; appearing ...after the plain form of a verb or adjective, or a noun; expresses judgement based on evidence, reason or trustworthy hearsay
- suffix, i-adjective-ish; like a ...; typical of ...; appropriate for ...; becoming of ...; worthy of the name ...after a noun, adverb or adj. stem
Conjugation
| Plain form | らしい |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | らしいです |
| Negative (kunai) | らしくない |
| polite (ku arimasen) | らしくありません |
| Past (katta) | らしかった |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | らしくなかった |
| Te form (kute) | らしくて |
| Adverbial (ku) | らしく |
| Conditional (kereba) | らしければ |
| kattara | らしかったら |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
- Related思われるおもわれるWrittenObjective and mild: 'it is generally thought'. Common in expository prose. 「らしい」 covers hearsay and clue-based inference and leans colloquial.
- Related思えるおもえるNeutralCan't help feeling it looks that way — a judgment based on the speaker's own impression. 「らしい」 infers from hearsay or factual clues, and can also mean 'typical of'.
- AntonymらしくないNeutralThe negative form, opposite to 「らしい」 in the 'fitting the type' sense: it means out of character, not like what the person or thing should be.
For inference from hearsay or clues and for 'typical of', use 「らしい」 (「雨らしい」, 「男らしい」). Use 「思える」 for a subjective impression and 「思われる」 for objective statements in formal prose; 「らしくない」 is its negative.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


