Have you ever been thinking about how to give your opinion while not hurting people’s feeling? Today’s one point class is one of the solutions. “のようだ” can be used when you want to express “I guess/suppose… …”, especially when the situation cannot be concluded clearly. On the other hand, though you are sure about the situation, you could use it as well to not hurt others’ feeling. Let’s have a look at the following examples.
A: このワンピース、似合うかしら。(I wonder if this dress suits me.)
B: ちょっと、地味なようですね。(It looks kind of quiet, isn’t it.)
In fact, B thought the dress is not good enough. However, in order to not hurt A’s feeling, B used “のようだ” because it sounds like “I don’t think it suits you, but I’m not sure actually.”
One of the biggest characteristic of Japanese is the “euphemism”. People don’t express their thoughts straight forward, which means expressions associated with ambiguity are preferred. You can also find the truth from the following examples.
A: シチューを作っているんですが、味見してもらえますか。(I’m making the stew. Can you taste it for me?)
B: ちょっと塩味が足りないようですね。(It seems salty is not enough.)
A: 生活が苦しいようなら、奨学金を申請してみてはどうですか。(It seems like you are suffering from your financial conditions. How about applying for a scholarship?)
A: 田中さん、離婚したんだって？(Did Tanaka-san divorce?)
B: Yeah, looks like that.
Have a good weekend! See you next time!