JLPT N3 grammar
～ようだ / ～みたい — Meaning & Examples
Your own inference from evidence ("it seems"). ようだ is formal, みたい casual. ～とのことだ = "I'm told" (formal report).
～ようだ / ～みたい — Your Own Inference
Use these when YOU conclude something from evidence you can see or sense.
～ようだ (more formal): plain form + ようだ
だれか きた ようだ。 — It seems someone came. (I see shoes…)
～みたい (casual, same meaning): plain form + みたい
かぜを ひいた みたい。 — Seems I've caught a cold. (I feel it)
The whole family, from firmest source to softest guess:
～そうだ／とのことだ — I was told (reported)
～らしい — apparently (gathered)
～ようだ／みたい — it seems (my own inference)
Formal report — ～とのことだ:
かいぎは ちゅうし との ことです。 — I'm told the meeting is cancelled. (very common in email/business)
Practice questions
Try these 2 questions on ～ようだ / ～みたい. Pick an answer in your head, then open “Show answer”.
1. ニュースによると、あめが ふる____。 (I hear it'll rain, per the news)
- ようだ (you da)
- みたい (mitai)
- そうだ (sou da)
- らしくない (rashikunai)
Show answer
Answer: そうだ (sou da)
～によると pairs with hearsay ～そうだ: "According to the news, (I hear) it'll rain."
2. You see shoes at the door and conclude someone came. Best fit:
- だれか きた そうだ (dareka kita sou da)
- だれか きた によると (dareka kita ni yoru to)
- だれか きた ようだ (dareka kita you da)
- だれか きなさい (dareka kinasai)
Show answer
Answer: だれか きた ようだ (dareka kita you da)
～ようだ expresses your own inference from evidence: "it seems someone came".
Practise ～ようだ / ～みたい in the free app
This point is part of the “Reporting and Hearsay Patterns” lesson in A Star Japanese. Study it with examples, a quiz, flashcards and timed JLPT N3 mock exams. Free on iPhone and Android.
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Related N3 grammar points
From the same lesson: Reporting and Hearsay Patterns
Frequently asked questions
What does ～ようだ / ～みたい mean?
Your own inference from evidence ("it seems"). ようだ is formal, みたい casual. ～とのことだ = "I'm told" (formal report).
Is ～ようだ / ～みたい on the JLPT N3 test?
～ようだ / ～みたい is taught in the JLPT N3 grammar course in A Star Japanese (lesson “Reporting and Hearsay Patterns”), so it is a pattern learners at this level are expected to recognise. The JLPT does not publish an official grammar list, so treat this as a study guide rather than an official requirement.
How can I practise ～ようだ / ～みたい?
Open the “Reporting and Hearsay Patterns” lesson in the free A Star Japanese app for iPhone and Android. It has examples, a quiz after every lesson, flashcards with spaced repetition and timed JLPT N3 mock exams, with no ads.