Similarity and Hearsay
Vocabulary
- 田中 【た・なか】 – Tanaka (name)
- 人 【ひと】 – person
- おいしい (i-adj) – delicious
- 雨 【あめ】 – rain
- 降る 【ふ・る】 (u-verb) – to fall (rain)
- 夢 【ゆめ】 – dream
- 元気 【げん・き】 (na-adj) – healthy
- 暑い 【あつ・い】 (i-adj) – hot
- 子供 【こ・ども】 – child
How to say something looks like or seems like something else.
よう (Seems/Likeness)
Formal expression for similarity. Nouns/Verbs behave like nouns.
あの人は田中さんのようだ。 - That person seems like Tanaka-san.
夢のようだ。 - It's like a dream.
彼は元気なようだ。 - He seems healthy.
みたい (Casual “よう”)
More colloquial version of よう.
田中さんみたいだ。 - Looks like Tanaka-san.
夢みたい。 - It's like a dream.
子供みたいだね。 - You're like a child.
そう (Looks like / Hearsay)
Two different usages based on how it attaches.
Looks Like (Stem + そう)
Based on appearance/observation.
おいしそう。 - It looks delicious.
雨が降りそう。 - It looks like it's going to rain.
暑そうだね。 - You look hot.
Hearsay (Plain form + そう)
Based on what you heard.
おいしいそうだ。 - I heard it's delicious.
雨が降るそうだ。 - I heard it will rain.
彼は元気だそうだ。 - I heard he's doing well.