In Japanese there are many different ways to express likeness or similarity depending on appearance, behavior, or outcome. When learning these expressions for the first time, it is difficult to understand what the differences are between them because they all translate to the same thing in English. This lesson is designed to study the differences between these expressions so that you can start to get a sense of which is appropriate for what you want to say.<\/p>\n
We’ve already briefly gone over \u300c\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u300d and learned that \u300c\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u300d means an appearance or manner. We can use this definition to say that something has an appearance or manner of a certain state. This word can be used in many ways to express similarity. The simplest example is by directly modifying the relative clause. When the sentence ends in \u300c\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u300d, you must explicitly express the state-of-being by adding \u300c\u3060\u300d, \u300c\u3067\u3059\u300d, or \u300c\u3067\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3059\u300d.<\/p>\n When directly modifying nouns or na-adjectives, you must use the \u300c\u306e\u300d particle for nouns or attach \u300c\u306a\u300d to na-adjectives.<\/p>\n Notice that example 1 does not say that the person looks like a student<\/i>. Rather, the declarative \u300c\u3060\u300d states that the person appears to be a student<\/i>. On a side note, you can’t say \u300c\u304a\u3044\u3057\u3044<\/span>\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u3060\u300d to say that something looks tasty. This is like saying, “This dish apparently is tasty,” which can actually be kind of rude.<\/p>\n You can also use it as a na-adjective to describe something that appears to be something else.<\/p>\n Finally, we can attach the target particle to say things like, “I heard it like that” or “I said it like…”.<\/p>\n Another way to express similarity which is considered more casual is by using \u300c\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d. Do not confuse this with the \u300c\u305f\u3044\u300d conjugation of \u300c\u898b\u308b<\/span>\u300d. The main difference is that this \u300c\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d can be attached directly to nouns, adjectives, and verbs just like particles which i-adjectives like \u300c\uff5e\u305f\u3044\u300d obviously can’t do. <\/p>\n <\/center><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \nThe implied meaning here is the person wearing the uniform is not really a student because he\/she only looks<\/i> like a student. This is different from example 3 from the previous \u300c\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u300d section which implied that the person appears to be (but might not be) a student. Again, we also can’t say \u300c\u304a\u3044\u3057\u3044<\/span>\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d to say that something looks tasty because it implies that, in actuality, the food might not be so good.\n<\/p>\n Don’t forget that \u300c\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d does not conjugate like the \u300c\uff5e\u305f\u3044\u300d form or i-adjectives.<\/p>\n \u300c\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d is a grammar used mostly for conversational Japanese. Do not use it in essays, articles, or anything that needs to sound authoritative. You can use \u300c\u3088\u3046<\/span>\u300d instead in the following fashion.<\/p>\n The problem with English is that the expression, “seems like” has too many meanings. It can mean similarity in appearance, similarity in behavior or even that current evidence points to a likely outcome. We will now learn how to say the third meaning: how to indicate a likely outcome given the situation.<\/p>\n Just like the grammar we have learned so far in this lesson, we can use this grammar by simply attaching \u300c\u305d\u3046\u300d to the end of verbs, and adjectives. However, there are four important different cases. Actually, I just noticed this but the conjugation rules are exactly the same as the \u300c\uff5e\u3059\u304e\u308b<\/span>\u300d grammar we learned in the last section. The only difference is that for the adjective \u300c\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u300d, you need to change it to \u300c\u3088\u3055<\/span>\u300d before attaching \u300c\u305d\u3046\u300d to create \u300c\u3088\u3055\u305d\u3046<\/span>\u300d.\n<\/p>\n For ru-verbs, remove the \u300c\u308b\u300d<\/p>\n For u-verbs, change the \/ u \/ vowel sound to an \/ i \/ vowel sound<\/p>\n In the next example, the \u300c\u3044\u300d has been dropped from \u300c\u304a\u3044\u3057\u3044<\/span>\u300d.<\/p>\n Exception<\/b>: The only exception to this rule is the adjective \u300c\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u300d. When using this grammar with \u300c\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u300d, you must first change it to \u300c\u3088\u3055\u300d.<\/u><\/p>\n Nothing needs to be done for na-adjectives.<\/p>\n The negative of \u300c\u6765\u308b<\/span>\u300d is \u300c\u3053\u306a\u3044<\/span>\u300d so when used with \u300c\uff5e\u305d\u3046\u300d, it becomes \u300c\u3053\u306a\u3055<\/span>\u305d\u3046\u300d.<\/p>\n \nIdentical to the \u300c\uff5e\u3059\u304e\u308b<\/span>\u300d grammar, i-adjectives that are derived from the negative \u300c\uff5e\u306a\u3044\u300d There are other grammar we have already covered that can be used to indicate that something is likely to be something else.<\/p>\n \nBe careful never to use \u300c\u304b\u308f\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u300d with this grammar. \u300c\u304b\u308f\u3044\u305d\u3046<\/span>\u300d is a completely different word used when you feel sorry for something or someone. \u300c\u304b\u308f\u3044\u3044<\/span>\u300d means, “to look cute” already so you never need to use any of the grammar in this lesson to say something looks cute.\n<\/p>\n The reason that there are so many annoying rules to using \u300c\uff5e\u305d\u3046\u300d is to distinguish it from this next grammar we will learn. This is a useful grammar for talking about things you heard that doesn’t necessary have anything to do with how you yourself, think or feel. Unlike the last grammar we learned, you can simply attach \u300c\u305d\u3046\u3060\u300d to verbs and i-adjectives. For na-adjectives and nouns, you must indicate the state-of-being by adding \u300c\u3060\u300d to the noun\/na-adjective. Also, notice that \u300c\u305d\u3046\u300d itself must always end in \u300c\u3060\u300d\u3001\u300c\u3067\u3059\u300d\u3001or \u300c\u3067\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3059\u300d. These differences are what distinguishes this grammar from the one we learned in the last section. There are no tenses for this grammar.<\/p>\n\n
\nLooks like no one is here.\n<\/li>\n
\nLooks like (he) watched the movie.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nLooks like it’s a student.\n<\/li>\n
\nLooks like it’s quiet.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nHad a feeling like I saw that person before.\n<\/li>\n
\nHe has a student-like atmosphere.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nWas able to hear it like (she) was a little mad.\n<\/li>\n
\nSaid (it) like nothing happened.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nUsing \u300c\u307f\u305f\u3044\u300d to say something looks like something else<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
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\n <\/th>\n Positive<\/th>\n Negative<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Non-Past<\/th>\n \u72ac<\/span>\u307f\u305f\u3044
looks like a dog<\/td>\n\u72ac<\/span>\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/em>\u307f\u305f\u3044
doesn’t look like a dog<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n Past<\/th>\n \u72ac<\/span>\u3060\u3063\u305f<\/em>\u307f\u305f\u3044
looked like a dog<\/td>\n\u72ac<\/span>\u3058\u3083\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/em>\u307f\u305f\u3044
didn’t look like a dog<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\nExamples<\/h3>\n
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\nLooks like it’s sold out already.\n<\/li>\n
\nLooking at the uniform-wearing figure, (person) looks like a student.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strike><\/em>\uff1f
\n(\u307f\u305f\u3044 conjugates like a na-adjective.)\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nDoesn’t this pizza looks like okonomiyaki?\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nIt appears that it is sold-out already.\n<\/li>\n
\nThis pizza looks like okonomiyaki.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nGuessing at an outcome using \u300c\uff5e\u305d\u3046\u300d<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
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1. Verb must be changed to the stem.<\/h3>\n
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\nLosing my balance, I seemed likely to fall for a moment.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nIt seems likely that it would be around here but…\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n2. The \u300c\u3044\u300d in i-adjectives must be dropped.<\/h3>\n
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\nI bet this pickled vegetable is tasty! (This pickled vegetable looks good!)\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThis one also seems to be good but, as expected, it’s expensive, huh?\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nKnowing you, I bet you like blond-haired girls.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n3. For all negatives, the \u300c\u3044\u300d must be replaced with \u300c\u3055\u300d.<\/h3>\n
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\nSince it already became 10:00, it’s likely that (person) won’t come.\n<\/li>\n
\nThis isn’t likely to be an ordinary match.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nlike \u300c\u3082\u3063\u305f\u3044\u306a\u3044<\/span>\u300d or \u300c\u60c5\u3051\u306a\u3044<\/span>\u300d also follow this rule as well (which would be \u300c\u3082\u3063\u305f\u3044\u306a\u3055<\/span>\u305d\u3046\u300d and \u300c\u60c5\u3051\u306a\u3055<\/span>\u305d\u3046\u300d in this case).\n<\/p>\n4. This grammar does not work with plain nouns.<\/h3>\n
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\u305d\u3046<\/strike><\/em>\u3002\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThat person is probably student.\n<\/li>\n
\nThat person is probably student.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nOh, this poor dog.\n<\/li>\n
\nThis dog is cute.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nExpressing hearsay using \u300c\uff5e\u305d\u3046\u3060\u300d<\/h2>\n
Vocabulary<\/h3>\n
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