らしい

• (Tokyo) らしい (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

らしい • (-rashii) -i (adverbial らしく (-rashiku))

1. (after nouns, adverbs or adjective stems)
   1. to be like or equivalent to; to be perceived as

      男(おとこ) (otoko, “man”) - 男(おとこ)らしい (otokorashii, “manly”)

      汚(きたな)い (kitanai, “dirty”) - 汚(きたな)らしい (kitanarashii, “looking dirty”)

      大人(おとな)らしくするつもりだったのに、大(おお)騒(さわ)ぎしてしまった。

      Otonarashiku suru tsumori datta no ni, ōsawagi shite shimatta.

      Despite the fact that I planned to act like an adult, I ended up making a big ruckus.

      • 2003 September 22, Akinobu Uraku, “第(だい)63話(わ)　幼(おさな)い記(き)憶(おく) [Chapter 63: Childish Memories]”, in 東(とう)京(きょう)アンダーグラウンド [Tokyo Underground], volume 11 (fiction), Square Enix, →ISBN, pages 109–110:

        たまには女(おんな)の子(こ)らしいお前(まえ)もいいけど　ルリの事(こと)考(かんが)えてるお前(まえ)が一(いち)番(ばん)お前(まえ)らしいと思(おも)ってな！

        Tama ni wa onna no ko rashii o-mae mo ii kedo Ruri no koto kangaeteru o-mae ga ichiban o-mae rashii to omotte na!

        It’s nice to have you be ladylike every once in a while. But it’s much better to have you be yourself every time you think about Ruri!

   2. to cause a feeling or emotion

      愛(あい) (ai, “love”) - 愛(あい)らしい (airashii, “lovable”)

• The suffix らしい (-rashii) usually denotes a quality that is somehow appropriate to or positive for the noun being described. Meanwhile, synonym っぽい (-ppoi) describes a quality that is somehow inappropriate to or negative for the noun being described. Compare English childlike and childish, womanly and womanish, manly and mannish.

• っぽい (-ppoi)
• よう (yō)
• みたい (mitai)

らしい • (rashii) 

1. (used after the predicate) it seems that; I guess that

   彼(かれ)はどうも来(こ)ないらしい。

   Kare wa dō mo konai rashii.

   He is not coming, apparently.