にみえる (primarily written only in hiragana) is a phrase that combines the 格助詞（かくじょし） (case-marking particle) に, with the る-Verb見（み）える ‘to appear’, or ‘to be visible’. This construction is regularly used with nouns, to show that something ‘appears to be (A)’, but it may also be partnered with the auxiliary verbs ようだ or そうだ (in their adverbial forms ように and そうに) to add a level of uncertainty. In these cases, it sounds closer to ‘to seem to be (A)’ in English.

• あの雲（くも）はアイスクリームにみえる。
  That cloud looks like an ice cream.
• サムの泳（およ）ぎ方（かた）は溺（おぼ）れているようにみえる。
  Sam’s way of swimming looks as if he is drowning.
• 寒（さむ）そうにみえるけど、大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）？
  You look like you are cold, are you okay?
• あの仕事（しごと）は大変（たいへん）そうにみえる。
  That job looks like it is tough.
• 一人（ひとり）で暗（くら）い所（ところ）にいるとなんでも顔（かお）のようにみえる。
  When I am in a dark place alone, everything looks like a face.

As with many other ようだ structures, みたい may be used instead. This creates the expression みたいにみえる. While this may appear confusing at first, it just means ‘to look like something that could be (A)’. In this way it reinforces the ‘guess’ that the speaker is making.

• このコートを着（き）ると太（ふと）ったみたいにみえるから嫌（きら）いだ。
  It seems to look like I got fat when I wear this coat, so I don't like it.