Apparently, must have: 〜とみえる
plain form + とみえる／とみえて／とみえ
Plain form + とみえる／とみえて: “must have, it seems that”, a deduction from a visible clue (よほど疲れていたとみえて、すぐ寝た). Written, narrative register.
In short
〜とみえる (“it seems that, must have”) draws a conclusion from a visible clue: you observe a fact and deduce something you can't see directly. よほど疲れていたとみえて、彼はすぐに寝てしまった (he must have been really worn out: he fell asleep straight away). You find it at the end of a sentence (とみえる) or, very often, in the middle (とみえて, とみえ), followed by the observed clue. Written, narrative register; in speech, a bit formal, sometimes old-fashioned.
- よほど疲れていたとみえて、彼はすぐに寝てしまった。よほどつかれていたとみえて、かれはすぐにねてしまった。He must have been really worn out: he fell asleep straight away.
- 道がぬれている。夜中に雨が降ったとみえる。みちがぬれている。よなかにあめがふったとみえる。The road is wet. It must have rained during the night.
- 隣の家は留守だとみえて、電気が全部消えている。となりのいえはるすだとみえて、でんきがぜんぶきえている。The neighbours must be away: all their lights are off.
The basics
見える means “to be visible, to seem”. With 〜とみえる, the speaker is essentially saying: “judging by what I can see, it must be that…”. There are always two elements: a concrete clue (he fell asleep straight away) and the conclusion drawn from it (he was worn out).
Mid-sentence, とみえて first gives the conclusion, then the clue that supports it. It's the most common order in narratives.
He must have been really worn out: he fell asleep straight away.
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- 子どもたちは、あのゲームがよほど気に入ったとみえる。こどもたちは、あのげーむがよほどきにいったとみえる。The children must have really loved that game.
How to form it
The plain form goes before と. With a noun or a な-adjective, you keep だ: 留守だとみえる, 好きだとみえる. Mid-sentence: とみえて (common) or とみえ (more written). It's also written と見える; the kana spelling helps distinguish it from the “be visible” meaning.
| Word | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | plain form + とみえる | 雨が降ったとみえる |
| い-adjective | 〜い + とみえる | よほど寒いとみえる |
| な-adjective | 〜だ + とみえる | 甘いものが好きだとみえる |
| Noun | 〜だ + とみえる | 留守だとみえる |
| Mid-sentence | とみえて／とみえ | 疲れていたとみえて、すぐ寝た |
- 外はよほど寒いとみえて、帰ってきた父の顔が真っ赤だった。そとはよほどさむいとみえて、かえってきたちちのかおがまっかだった。It must have been very cold outside: my father came home bright red in the face.
- この店は人気があるとみえ、平日でも行列ができている。このみせはにんきがあるとみえ、へいじつでもぎょうれつができている。This restaurant must be very popular: there's a queue even on weekdays.
とみえる, らしい, ようだ, に違いない
ようだ (N4) and らしい are the everyday deductions. とみえる belongs more to narrative and stresses that you're going by what you can see. に違いない (N3) expresses strong certainty, not necessarily drawn from a visible clue.
And watch out for the ordinary verb 見える: 富士山が見える (you can see Mount Fuji), 若く見える (look young). That's not a deduction.
| Form | Nuance | Register |
|---|---|---|
| 〜とみえる | deduction from a visible clue | written, narrative |
| 〜ようだ | deduction, impression | neutral |
| 〜らしい | deduction or hearsay | neutral, spoken |
| 〜に違いない | strong certainty | neutral |
| 〜が見える／〜く見える | be visible; look | neutral |
- 母は年のわりに若く見える。はははとしのわりにわかくみえる。My mother looks young for her age.
- 電気が消えているから、もう寝たようだ。でんきがきえているから、もうねたようだ。The light's off, so it looks like he's already in bed.
Common mistakes
- Confusing it with 見える in its literal sense: 山が見える (you can see the mountain) isn't a deduction.
- Using it without a clue: とみえる assumes you're relying on an observed fact, which usually needs to be stated.
- Using it for your own feelings: ×私は疲れているとみえる. It's about other people or an outside situation.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Kamiiida Line (Health and the body) of the Nagoya lines.