# らしい
## Japanese
### Etymology 1
#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) らしい [ràshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])
* IPA: [ɾa̠ɕiː]

#### Suffix

らしい • (-rashii) -i (adverbial らしく (-rashiku))
* (after nouns, adverbs or adjective stems)
** 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!
** to cause a feeling or emotion
    愛(あい) (ai, “love”) - 愛(あい)らしい (airashii, “lovable”)

##### Usage notes

* 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.

##### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | らしかろ | らしかろ | -rashikaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | らしく | らしく | -rashiku |
| Terminal (終止形) | らしい | らしい | -rashii |
| Attributive (連体形) | らしい | らしい | -rashii |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | らしけれ | らしけれ | -rashikere |
| Imperative (命令形) | らしかれ | らしかれ | -rashikare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | らしくない | らしくない | -rashiku nai |
| Informal past | らしかった | らしかった | -rashikatta |
| Informal negative past | らしくなかった | らしくなかった | -rashiku nakatta |
| Formal | らしいです | らしいです | -rashii desu |
| Formal negative | らしくないです | らしくないです | -rashiku nai desu |
| Formal past | らしかったです | らしかったです | -rashikatta desu |
| Formal negative past | らしくなかったです | らしくなかったです | -rashiku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | らしくて | らしくて | -rashikute |
| Conditional | らしければ | らしければ | -rashikereba |
| Provisional | らしかったら | らしかったら | -rashikattara |
| Volitional | らしかろう | らしかろう | -rashikarō |
| Adverbial | らしく | らしく | -rashiku |
| Degree | らしさ | らしさ | -rashisa |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | らしく$^{[1]}$ らしから$^{[2]}$ | らしく$^{[1]}$ らしから$^{[2]}$ | -rasiku -rasikara |
| Continuative (連用形) | らしく$^{[1]}$ らしかり$^{[2]}$ | らしく$^{[1]}$ らしかり$^{[2]}$ | -rasiku -rasikari |
| Terminal (終止形) | らし | らし | -rasi |
| Attributive (連体形) | らしき らしかる | らしき らしかる | -rasiki -rasikaru |
| Realis (已然形) | らしけれ | らしけれ | -rasikere |
| Imperative (命令形) | らしかれ | らしかれ | -rasikare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | らしからず | らしからず | -rasikarazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | らしけれど | らしけれど | -rasikeredo |
| Causal conjunction | らしければ | らしければ | -rasikereba |
| Conditional conjunction | らしくば | らしくば | -rasikuba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | らしかりき | らしかりき | -rasikariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | らしかりけり | らしかりけり | -rasikarikeri |
| Adverbial | らしく | らしく | -rasiku |
| $^{[1]}$Without auxiliary verb. $^{[2]}$With auxiliary verb. ||||

##### Synonyms

* っぽい (-ppoi)
* よう (yō)
* みたい (mitai)

### Etymology 2

Considered to be an Early Modern Period change from the earlier suffix (接尾語(せつびご) (setsubigo)) usage above, itself in use since the Late Medieval Period, with a possible connection to classical Japanese らし (rashi, an indeclinable 助動詞(じょどうし) (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) expressing hearsay or conjecture). The latter connection is doubtful however, because らし (rashi) stopped being used in the spoken language by the Heian period and was perceived as archaic.

#### Suffix

らしい • (rashii)
* (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.

##### Usage notes

* This word is morphologically an inflectional suffix. It is classified as 助動詞 (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar. Despite this, conjugated forms other than the terminal form are uncommon, and it's sometimes considered a particle in English.
* The らしければ (rashikereba) conditional construction is rarely used, in favor of constructions like らしかったら (rashikattara) or らしい (rashii) + なら (nara).
* In the modern language, らしい (rashii) differs in usage from classical らし (rashi) in that it can be used to make conjectures about non-fixed conditions.

##### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | | |
| Continuative (連用形) | らしく | -rashiku |
| Terminal (終止形) | らしい | -rashii |
| Attributive (連体形) | らしい | -rashii |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | (らしけれ) | (-rashikere) |
| Imperative (命令形) | | |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | | |
| Informal past | らしかった | -rashikatta |
| Informal negative past | | |
| Formal | らしいです | -rashii desu |
| Formal negative | | |
| Formal past | らしかったです | -rashikatta desu |
| Formal negative past | | |
| Conjunctive | らしくて | -rashikute |
| Conditional | らしければ | -rashikereba |
| Provisional | らしかったら、らしいなら | -rashikattara,-rashiinara |
| Volitional | | |
| Adverbial | らしく | rashiku |
| Degree | | |

### References

* ↑ “らしい”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006