様(よう)だIt seems that, It appears that, It looks like

どうやら and ようだ are frequently used together to express the speaker’s tentative judgment based on evidence or context. どうやら introduces the inference, while ようだ states the conclusion in a neutral or formal tone. For example: どうやら電車が遅れているようだ (It seems the train is delayed).3

そうに・そうな and ようだ can both mean 'seems' or 'appears', but differ in nuance and usage. そうに・そうな is based on sensory observation and attaches to verbs/adjectives (in the case of そうに) or nouns (in the case of そうな). In contrast, ようだ is based on information or inference and typically appears at the end of a sentence, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It looks like it will rain.').

ようだ and ように・ような share the meaning of 'seems' or 'appears', but differ in usage. ようだ is used at the end of a sentence to express observations or inferences, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It looks like it will rain.'). ように・ような connect to verbs or nouns to show similarity, e.g. 春のように暖かい ('It's warm like spring.') and 春のような天気 'spring-like weather'.

Both ようだ and に見える express observations, but differ in nuance. ようだ means 'appears to be' based on various cues, e.g. 虫のようだ ('It seems to be an insect.', based on looks, behavior, or context). に見える focuses specifically on visual appearance, e.g. 虫に見える ('It looks like an insect.'), without implying that the speaker thinks it actually is one.

Both ようだ and と見える express observations, but differ in nuance and formality. ようだ is commonly used to say something appears a certain way, based on various cues. と見える is more formal or literary and implies a deduction based on specific evidence, which is usually mentioned, e.g. 慌てているところを見ると、何かあったと見える ('Judging by how flustered he looks, something must've happened.').

ようだ expresses that something appears a certain way, based on various cues that are not always explicitly stated, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It seems it will rain.', perhaps because people are carrying umbrellas, etc.). In contrast, ときいた specifically means 'I heard (A)', and indicates that the information is hearsay directly obtained by the speaker.

While both use よう, their meanings differ. ようだ expresses a neutral observation, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It seems it will rain.'). ようでは／ようじゃ introduces a hypothetical or ongoing situation that leads to an undesirable outcome, e.g. 雨が降るようじゃ、試合ができない ('If it rains, we can't hold the game.').

Both ようだ and かのようだ express appearance or resemblance, but with different nuance. ようだ means 'It seems' or 'It appears,' and can be used whether the speaker believes the thing is actually as it appears or not. かのようだ adds a stronger, often figurative tone like 'just as if (A)', and is typically used when the speaker knows it is it not actually that thing.

Both みたい and ようだ express resemblance, like 'seems like' in English. みたい is more casual and common in speech, while ようだ is more formal and used in writing. みたい follows nouns directly (e.g. 春みたい), while ようだ requires の (e.g. 春のようだ). Both function grammatically as な-adjectives.

Both forms express observations similar to 'seems' or 'appears', but differ in nuance. そうだ is based on sensory clues, e.g. 雨が降りそうだ ('It looks like it'll rain.', because the sky is dark and the air is damp). ようだ is based on more concrete information or experience, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It seems it'll rain.' because people are carrying umbrellas, or the weather report said so).

Both forms express observations similar to 'seems' or 'appears,' but differ in nuance. ようだ is based on direct information or experience, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It seems it will rain.', based on people carrying umbrellas). らしい① implies indirect or secondhand information, e.g. 雨が降るらしい ('I heard it will rain.' or 'Apparently, it will rain.')