True to type: 〜らしい (typical)
Noun + らしい
Noun + らしい: “true to type, typical of”, with all the expected qualities (a compliment). らしくない: “that's not like him”. Contrast with っぽい (some traits, often critical).
In short
After a noun, 〜らしい can mean “having the real qualities of, typical of, worthy of”: 京都らしい町, a town that breathes Kyoto. It's a compliment. 〜らしくない, on the other hand, says you don't recognise the person or thing: 彼らしくない, “that's not like him”.
- ここは京都らしい静かな通りだ。ここはきょうとらしいしずかなとおりだ。This is a quiet street, typical of Kyoto.
- 今日は春らしい暖かい日ですね。きょうははるらしいあたたかいひですね。It's mild today — real spring weather.
- 遅れるなんて、君らしくないね。おくれるなんて、きみらしくないね。Being late isn't like you.
The basics
At N4, you saw らしい meaning “apparently” (conjecture, hearsay). Attached directly to a noun, らしい can also describe what perfectly matches the idea we have of that noun: 男らしい, 女らしい, 日本らしい, 春らしい. It's a true い-adjective, placed before a noun or at the end of a sentence — a bit like English “-like” in “spring-like”, or “a real…”.
A quiet street, typical of Kyoto.
- noun
- grammatical form
- adjective
- 秋らしい色の着物ですね。あきらしいいろのきものですね。That's a kimono in properly autumnal colours.
- もっと自分らしく生きたい。もっとじぶんらしくいきたい。I want to live more true to myself.
How to use it
Noun + らしい becomes an い-adjective: らしい + noun, らしく + verb (adverb), らしくない (negative).
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + らしい + noun | 日本らしい景色 | typically Japanese scenery |
| Noun + らしく + verb | 学生らしく勉強する | study like a real student |
| Noun + らしくない | 君らしくない | that's not like you |
- 学生らしく、まじめに勉強しなさい。がくせいらしく、まじめにべんきょうしなさい。Study seriously, the way a student should.
- 最近、冬らしい寒さが続いている。さいきん、ふゆらしいさむさがつづいている。Lately, we've had real winter cold.
Typical or hearsay? And らしい versus っぽい
At the end of a sentence, 「あの人は学生らしい」 is ambiguous: “apparently he's a student” or “he really comes across as a model student”. The context decides, and before a noun (学生らしい服) it's almost always the “typical” meaning.
っぽい says you have some traits of X without really being X, often critically (子どもっぽい大人, a childish adult). らしい says you are X and have its best qualities (子どもらしい子ども, a spontaneous, lively child).
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| あの人は来月帰国するらしい | apparently he's going home (hearsay) |
| 子どもらしい笑顔 | a child's spontaneous smile (typical) |
| 子どもっぽい大人 | a childish adult (critical) |
- 田中さんは来月、会社をやめるらしい。たなかさんはらいげつ、かいしゃをやめるらしい。Apparently Mr Tanaka is leaving the company next month.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up typical らしい and hearsay らしい: before a noun, it's almost always “typical”; at the end of a sentence, look at the context.
- Using らしい when something isn't really X: an adult behaving like a child is 子どもっぽい, not 子どもらしい.
- Adding の: 「京都のらしい」 is wrong; らしい attaches directly to the noun.
7 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 N3 point is on the Randen Line (Nature and climate) of the Kyoto lines.