JLPT N4
ようだ
It seems / It appears
Structure
Plain form ようだ
How it works
ようだ is used to express a subjective judgment or conjecture based on the speaker's first-hand observations or sensory input. It indicates that something appears to be a certain way, similar to 'it looks like' or 'it seems.' When following a noun, use 'の', and for na-adjectives, use 'な' before ようだ.
Examples
外は雨が降っているようです。
It seems that it is raining outside.
田中さんは風邪を引いたようです。
It appears that Mr. Tanaka caught a cold.
隣の部屋は静かなようです。
The room next door seems quiet.
Common mistakes
Confusing ようだ with そうだ. Use ようだ for logical conclusions based on evidence, while そうだ (visual) is for immediate visual impressions (e.g., 'this cake looks delicious').
Tip
Remember that ようだ behaves like a na-adjective. For example, it becomes ようです in polite form and ような when modifying a noun.
More JLPT N4 grammar
See ようだ in real Japanese
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