情報の もと (jouhou no moto) — Where the information came from
The same fact takes a different form depending on how you came to know it.
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
Before choosing a form in Japanese, ask one question: how did I come to know this? The answer decides the form. Heard it or read it, source clear → そうです. Heard it, but not sure where, it is word going around → らしいです. Saw it myself and worked it out → ようです. Saw it myself, but I am chatting with a friend → みたいです. Picked it up straight through my nose, ears or tongue → 音が します, においが します. And if you only want to compare one thing to another, use のように / のような. Which to pick? Remember the source — heard it → そうです, saw it → ようです; and when you are unsure, ようです is the safe one.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
田中さんは 結婚するそうです。
tanaka-san wa kekkon suru sou desu.
Tanaka is getting married, I hear (he told me himself).
田中さんは 結婚するらしいです。
tanaka-san wa kekkon suru rashii desu.
Apparently Tanaka is getting married (word going around the office).
田中さんは 結婚するようです。
tanaka-san wa kekkon suru you desu.
Tanaka seems to be getting married (I saw the ring).
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
Question: 1/3Which do you need to pass on news you heard on TV?
💡 Hint: The source is clear and you heard it.
ニュースに よると、〜そうです — passing on what you heard as it came.
Seeing shoes at the door, which says "someone seems to have come"?
💡 Hint: You saw the evidence with your own eyes.
A conclusion drawn from evidence you saw = ようです.
Which form do you use when your nose picks up a smell directly?
💡 Hint: This is not a guess; it is direct experience.
What the senses pick up takes します; only the guess you build on it takes ようです.
Your score: /3