Explanation
〜らしい means "it seems" (based on indirect information) and also "typical of / befitting".
にほんらしい = "typically Japanese". あめらしい = "it seems it will rain".
Formation: Attach らしい to the plain form of verbs and adjectives, and directly to nouns (彼 + らしい).
Usage & nuance: 〜らしい has two lives: hearsay based on what one heard or read, and typicality meaning that something shows the characteristic quality of a category.
Compare: 〜そうだ reports information directly from a source, 〜ようだ infers from evidence, while 〜らしい filters both through the speaker.
हिंदी में समझें
〜らしい का मतलब "लगता है" (अप्रत्यक्ष जानकारी के आधार पर) और "के अनुरूप/विशिष्ट"।
にほんらしい = "जापानी जैसा"। あめらしい = "लगता है बारिश होगी"।
Examples
- ここはとてもにほんらしいです。 (Koko wa totemo nihon rashii desu.)
हिंदी: यह बहुत जापानी जैसा है।
English: This place is very typically Japanese. - あしたはあめらしいです。 (Ashita wa ame rashii desu.)
हिंदी: लगता है कल बारिश होगी।
English: It seems it will rain tomorrow. - 天気予報によると、明日は雪が降るらしい。 (Tenki yohou ni yoru to, ashita wa yuki ga furu rashii.)
हिंदी: मौसम पूर्वानुमान के अनुसार कल बर्फ़ गिरने वाली है।
English: According to the weather forecast, it seems it will snow tomorrow. - 彼は本当に子供らしい。 (Kare wa hontou ni kodomo rashii.)
हिंदी: वह सचमुच बच्चों जैसा है।
English: He is really childlike.
Common mistakes
- らしい vs ようだ confusion → らしい = hearsay/typical; ようだ = direct evidence — Choose based on the source of information.
Practice this topic
Test your understanding with 2 questions on 〜らしい — Seems / Typical of.