～よう (conjecture / likelihood)

Japanese Grammar Intermediate Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral ようyou
読み よう
ローマ字 you
形 Verb (plain form) + ようだ / Noun + の + ようだ / Adj-い + ようだ / Adj-な + な + ようだ

意味

An auxiliary verb attached to the volitional stem expressing the speaker's conjecture about some potentiality or likelihood. It conveys 'it seems likely that' or 'it appears that ~ will.'

よう in this usage expresses the speaker's subjective conjecture about a potential situation or future event. It differs from the volitional よう (let's ~) and the manner-describing ように. Here, よう functions as a dependent noun meaning 'appearance' or 'likelihood,' often combined with だ to form ようだ. When used with verbs, it suggests the speaker has some basis — observation, experience, or indirect evidence — for believing something is likely. It is softer than はずだ (which implies strong logical expectation) and more grounded than かもしれない (which is pure possibility). Common forms include ようだ, ような, and ように.

例文

  1. 彼は何か隠しているようだ。
  2. 外は雨が降っているようだ。
  3. このレストランは人気があるようで、いつも混んでいる。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: observational

正しい言い方

  • どうやら電車が遅れているようだ。
  • 隣の部屋から音がするようだが、誰かいるのだろうか。
  • 彼女は新しい仕事に満足しているようだ。

避ける言い方

  • 明日は日曜日のようだ。(ようだ is for conjecture based on evidence, not for stating known facts like what day it is) → 明日は日曜日だ。
  • 私は疲れたようだ。(ようだ expresses conjecture about others or external situations; for your own feelings, use direct statement 疲れた) → 私は疲れた。

起源と歴史

よう comes from 様 (さま/よう), meaning 'manner' or 'appearance.' The conjecture meaning developed naturally from describing how things appear — if something has the appearance of a certain state, the speaker infers it is likely so.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

～も～も (both ~ and ~ / neither ~ nor ~) A structure presenting two states or actions of someone or something by using the inclusive particle も twice to emphasise that both apply equally. It conveys 'both ~ and ~' or with negation 'neither ~ nor ~.' ～より (more than / comparative) An adverb and particle that forms the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs, expressing 'more ~ than' or 'rather than.' It establishes a standard of comparison. ～ことになる (it turns out that) A phrase indicating that an action or event leads to a certain situation or outcome, often implying that the result was decided by external circumstances rather than the speaker's own will. It conveys 'it turns out that' or 'it has been decided that.' ～そうになる (to almost / to nearly) A phrase expressing that something almost happens or nearly occurred. It describes a situation that was on the verge of happening but ultimately did not, conveying 'almost' or 'nearly.' ～とする (1) (to assume / to suppose) A phrase indicating that someone assumes, supposes, or tentatively decides something for the sake of argument or planning. It conveys 'let's assume that' or 'supposing that.' ～とする (2) (to feel / to sense) A phrase describing a sensory or psychological experience, where the speaker perceives a physical sensation or emotional state. It conveys 'to feel' or 'to have a sensation of.' ～もの（だ） (it is natural that / used to) A dependent noun construction used to express general truths, natural expectations, nostalgic recollections of the past, or emotional emphasis. It conveys 'it is natural that,' 'one should,' or 'used to.' ～やる (1) (to do for / to give) A verb meaning to cause something or someone to move to a place, or to do, give, eat, or drink something. It is a casual or rough equivalent of あげる for giving to animals, plants, or those of lower status, and also functions as a general verb for 'to do.'
WordLociで練習する

フラッシュカード、クイズ、音声発音、間隔反復