Seeming and sure
Conjugations, Stage 4chunk 3 of 6Grammar patterns
Say how sure you are, from 'seems' to 'must be' to 'not necessarily'.
- -you nalike; such as; a kind of
- -you dait seems; it looks like
- -to wa kagiranainot necessarily; not always
- -ni chigai naimust be; no doubt
Mix-ups you da (formal 'seems') vs mitai (casual) vs -sou (looks).
-you na
like; such as; a kind of
Goes before a noun to compare or give an example; casual mitai na does the same job.
Make it noun + no you na + noun; plain form + you na + noun
-you na ki ga suru, 'I have a feeling that', is its most common use in speech. Before a verb or adjective it becomes -you ni.
dokoka de atta you na ki ga suru
I feel like I've met you somewhere.
どこかで会ったような気がする
dokoka de atta you na ki ga shimasu
I have a feeling we've met somewhere.
どこかで会ったような気がします
Rank #153 in 3,030 TV dramas
-you da
it seems; it looks like
A judgment from what you see or know; more formal than mitai, so you hear it in polite speech and on the news.
Make it plain form + you da; noun + no you da; na-adjective + na you da
Polite -you desu
Casual equivalent: mitai. Compare -sou (looks, from appearance) and rashii (I hear).
dare mo inai you da ne
Looks like nobody's here.
誰もいないようだね
dare mo inai you desu ne
It seems no one is here.
誰もいないようですね
Rank #1583 in 3,030 TV dramas
-to wa kagiranai
not necessarily; not always
Pushes back on an assumption; often with kanarazu shimo or itsumo.
Make it plain form + to wa kagiranai
Polite -to wa kagirimasen
Kagiru alone means 'nothing beats': 'natsu wa biiru ni kagiru' (nothing beats beer in summer).
takai kara oishii to wa kagiranai yo
Expensive doesn't necessarily mean tasty.
高いからおいしいとは限らないよ
takai kara oishii to wa kagirimasen yo
Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good.
高いからおいしいとは限りませんよ
Rank #1708 in 3,030 TV dramas
-ni chigai nai
must be; no doubt
A confident guess from evidence; stronger than hazu.
Make it plain form + ni chigai nai (noun or na-adjective drops da)
Polite -ni chigai arimasen
A little bookish; in chat 'kitto ... da yo' or '... ni kimatteru' (it's obviously) are more common.
ano futari, tsukiatteru ni chigai nai yo
Those two must be dating.
あの二人、付き合ってるに違いないよ
ano futari wa tsukiatte iru ni chigai arimasen
Those two are surely going out.
あの二人は付き合っているに違いありません
Rank #2882 in 3,030 TV dramas