Grammar JLPT Level N4 - Lesson 27

In our first らしい lesson, we discussed the auxiliary verb use of らしい. In this lesson we will focus on the 形容詞(けいようし)の一部(いちぶ) (auxiliary adjective) usage. An auxiliary adjective is a type of adjective that must be attached to another word for it to have any meaning.
To use らしい in this way, it must be attached to the end of a noun, and will imply that something is 'typical of (A)', where (A) is the noun that comes before it. As this らしい behaves like an い-Adjective, it may also be conjugated to らしく, before a (B) phrase will explain more about 'what' is/was typical of (A).

• トムは本当(ほんとう)に男(おとこ)らしいね。
  Tom, you are really manly.
• タケル君(くん)はもうお兄(にい)ちゃんなので、お兄(にい)ちゃんらしくしなさい！
  Takeru, you are already an older brother, so you should act like an older brother!
• やっと10月(がつ)らしい天気(てんき)になったね。
  It has finally become October-like weather, don't you think?

The primary use of this らしい is to express that (A) has some feature or trait that is expected of itself. It can be used for people, 'studying all night is so typical of Tanaka', or it can be used for things like seasons 'this heat is so typical of the Japanese Summer'. Other common translations are 'to be befitting of (A)', or 'to be appropriate for (A)'.
However, it may also be used negatively, to show that something is (often surprisingly) 'uncharacteristic of (A)'.

• トムがこんなに勉強(べんきょう)をしているのは見(み)たことがない、トムらしくない。
  I've never seen Tom study this much. It's very uncharacteristic of him.
• 今日(きょう)は8月(がつ)らしくないです。涼(すず)しいです。
  Today is not typical of August. It's cool.
• 彼女(かのじょ)は女(おんな)らしくない人(ひと)だ。
  She is an unladylike person.