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

In a similar way to みたい, ようだ is used when making observations about something in Japanese. This auxiliary verb is used to express three primary things.

たとえ - Using (A) as an example to highlight the way that (B) looks/is acting.

推定(すいてい) - Using (A) as a reason for an assumption made about (B).

例示(れいじ) - Presenting (A) as an example of what (B) is.

ようだ is usually based on direct information/experience, and shows that the speaker has high confidence in what they are saying. It may also frequently appear in its kanji form, 様(よう)だ.

ようだ can be used with any verb, い-Adjective, な-Adjective, or noun. However, it requires な before it when used with な-Adjectives, or の when used with nouns.

Although ようだ and そうだ are often used in similar situations, そうだ shows that the speaker has a lot less confidence in their statement than ようだ. Because of this, ようだ is a much better choice when stating things that are obvious/observable by anyone.

Caution

ようだ is considerably more formal than みたい, and is therefore less common in casual conversation.