JLPT N4 Grammar – The difference between “〜そうだ” and “〜らしい”

Table of Contents

1. The difference between “〜そうだ” and “〜らしい”
2. 〜そうだ
3. 〜らしい
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comments

Q: Are there any differences in grammar between “～そうだ” and “～らしい”?

A: Both expressions are used when the speaker conveys information they have obtained, but the choice depends on the type of information, its reliability, and how the speaker perceives it.

〜そうだ (JLPT N4)

[Meaning]
Conveying information obtained from someone or something

[Rule]
[V] Verb plain form + そうだ
[A] い adjective plain form + そうだ
[Na] な adjective plain form + そうだ
[N] Noun plain form + そうだ

[Examples]　
あした雨あめが降ふるそうです。
I heard it will rain tomorrow.

来週らいしゅうはあたたかいそうです。
It seems it will be warm next week.

ゆみさんは元気げんきだそうです。
I heard Yumi is well.

トムさんは学生がくせいだそうです。
I heard Tom is a student.

〜らしい (JLPT N4)

[Meaning]
Conjecture based on what the speaker has seen or heard

[Rule]
[V] Verb plain form + らしい
[A] い adjective + らしい
[Na] な adjective な + らしい
[N] Noun + らしい

[Examples]　
あした雨あめが降ふるらしいです。
I heard it will rain tomorrow.

来週らいしゅうはあたたかいらしいです。
It seems it will be warm next week.

ゆみさんは元気げんきらしいです。
I heard Yumi is well.

トムさんは学生がくせいらしいです。
I heard Tom is a student.

Please take a look at this article as well.

Let’s Compare

[① Hearsay-1]

When conveying something to someone, the speaker uses “〜そうだ” when the reliability or certainty of the obtained information is high, and “〜らしい” when it is low.

[Example]
木村きむらさんから聞きいたんですが、木村きむらさんは来月らいげつから東京とうきょうで働はたらくそうですよ。
I heard from Mr. Kimura that he will work in Tokyo from next month.
⇒ Since the speaker heard directly from Mr. Kimura, the reliability of the information is high.

うわさで聞きいたんですが、木村きむらさんは来月らいげつから東京とうきょうで働はたらくらしいです。
I heard rumors that Mr. Kimura is likely to work in Tokyo from next month.
⇒ Since it’s information from rumors rather than directly from Mr. Kimura, the reliability is low.

[Example]　
A：「吉田よしださん、来月らいげつ会社かいしゃを辞やめるらしいですね。」
B：「え、誰だれから聞きいたんですか？」
A：「んー誰だれだったかな。誰だれかが言いってましたよ。」
B：「わたしは部長ぶちょうから聞きいたんですが、辞やめるんじゃなくて休やすむそうですよ。」
A: “I heard Mr. Yoshida is leaving the company next month.”
B: “Huh, who did you hear that from?”
A: “Hmm, I can’t remember who it was. Someone mentioned it.”
B: “I heard it from the manager, but it seems like he’s not leaving; he’s just taking a break.”
⇒ In this conversation, A forgets who he heard the information from, indicating low reliability, hence he uses “〜らしい”.
However, B uses “〜そうだ” as he heard it from the department head, indicating high reliability.

[② Hearsay-2]

When the speaker has a strong interest or concern regarding the information they’ve obtained, they are more likely to use “～そうだ” than “～らしい”.

[Examples]
①来月らいげつ、近ちかくの公園こうえんで大おおきなお祭まつりがあるそうだよ。楽たのしみだね。　
Next month, there’s a big festival in the nearby park. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

②来月らいげつ、近ちかくの公園こうえんで大おおきなお祭まつりがあるらしいよ。
Next month, there’s apparently a big festival at the nearby park.

In example ①, the speaker’s excitement for the festival is evident with “楽たのしみだね” (Looking forward to it, right?).
When the speaker hashigh interest or curiosity in the information, “〜そうだ” is more appropriate.
Conversely, in example ②, the speaker objectively presents the information, indicating less interest compared to “そうです.”

[③ Inference]

“〜そうだ” can also be used when expressing the state or appearance of something, or when making predictions or judgments. Hence, it can be used in such contexts as well.

[Example]
〇 （わたしは）次つぎのJLPTに受うかりそうです。
(I) seem likely to pass the next JLPT.

“〜らしい” can be used not only for information obtained from somewhere but also when the speaker objectively observes a situation and makes an inference.
However, it cannot be used for subjective inferences, so caution is needed.

[Example]
〇 この店みせはいつも混こんでいるので人気にんきらしいです。。
This restaurant is always crowded, so it seems popular.

×（わたしは）次つぎのJLPTに受うかるらしいです。
(I) seem likely to pass the next JLPT.

Furthermore, similar to Comparison 1, when the speaker’s inference accuracy is high, “〜そうだ” is used; when it’s low, “〜らしい” is preferred.

[Example]
母ははにメールを送おくったけど返事へんじが来きません。いつも忙いそがしいからまだメールに気きづいてなさそうです。
I emailed my mom but haven’t received a reply. She seems not to have noticed it yet, probably because she’s always busy.
⇒ This inference is based on the mother’s usual busyness, hence it’s more accurate.

母ははにメールを送おくったけど返事へんじが来きません。まだ気きづいていないらしいです。
I emailed my mom but haven’t received a reply. She doesn’t seem to have noticed it yet.
⇒ It suggests a low inference accuracy as there’s no specific reason for the inference.

Summary

	Information reliability	Speaker’s interest/concern	Accuracy of inference	Key points
〜そうだ	High information reliability	Strong interest or concern	Highly accurate inference	Can be used for subjective inference
〜らしい	Low or unclear information reliability	Weak interest or concern	Objective but low-accuracy inference	Cannot be used for subjective inference

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

---