〜ようだ・〜みたい (yō da / mitai)

JLPT N3

How to say something seems a certain way, based on your own impression.

Meaning

“It seems ~ / it looks like ~ / it's as if ~.” Your own judgment from what you see or sense.

Formation

• Verb / い-adj (plain) + ようだ

• な-adj + な + ようだ; Noun + の + ようだ

• Casual: 〜みたい (Noun / な-adj + みたい)

Examples

誰かいるようだ。

Dareka iru yō da. — It seems someone is here.

彼は疲れているみたい。

Kare wa tsukarete iru mitai. — He looks tired. (casual)

外は雨のようだ。

Soto wa ame no yō da. — It looks like it's raining outside.

この料理は本物みたいだ。

Kono ryōri wa honmono mitai da. — This dish is just like the real thing.

How it works

ようだ / みたい express your own impression based on what you perceive. みたい is the casual, spoken form. ようだ can also mean “like / as if” for comparisons (氷のように冷たい).

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜ようだ / みたい — your own impression. “It seems (to me).”

• 〜らしい — from outside information. “Apparently.”

• 〜そうだ (appearance) — “looks like” from immediate appearance.

Common mistakes

• Noun: 雨 → 雨のようだ / 雨みたい (not 雨だようだ)

• みたい is casual; ようだ is neutral / formal.

Related grammar

• 〜らしい — apparently

• 〜そうだ — looks like / I heard

• 〜はず — should