Meaning of 似乎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- it seems; seemingly; as if
How to use 似乎
似乎 is an adverb placed before the verb or adjective to make a statement less certain. It sounds a bit more formal than 好像 (hǎoxiàng). Example: 他似乎不太高兴。(Tā sìhū bú tài gāoxìng.) He seems a little unhappy.
似 (sì) means to resemble, and 乎 (hū) is an old particle that softens a statement. Together, 似乎 says something resembles the truth, so it only seems that way.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 似乎 (sìhū, it seems) with 几乎 (jīhū, almost) because both end in 乎. Also note that 似 is read sì here, but shì in 似的 (shìde).
似乎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
似 shì · resembling · 6 strokes
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乎 hū · interrogative or exclamatory final part… · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 似乎.
| 类似 | lèisì | similar; analogous |
| 相似 | xiāngsì | similar; alike |
| 几乎 | jīhū | almost; nearly; practically |
| 不在乎 | bùzàihu | not to care |
| 在乎 | zàihu | to rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute); (often used in the negative) |
| 似的 | shìde | seems as if; rather like |
| 好似 | hǎosì | to seem; to be like |
| 看似 | kànsì | to look as if; to seem |
| 似曾相识 | sìcéng-xiāngshí | déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly fam |
| 合乎 | héhū | to accord with; to conform to |
| 酷似 | kùsì | to strikingly resemble |
| 似是而非 | sìshì-érfēi | apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom) |
Questions about 似乎
What does 似乎 mean?
似乎 (sìhū) means "it seems; seemingly; as if" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 似乎?
似乎 is made of 2 characters: 似 (6 strokes), 乎 (5 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 似乎 an HSK word?
Yes. 似乎 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 似乎 and 好像?
Both mean it seems. 好像 is more common in everyday speech and can also mean to be like something, as in 好像一只猫. 似乎 is slightly more formal and is mainly used as an adverb before a verb or adjective.
Can 似乎 be used at the start of a sentence?
It usually comes after the subject, as in 天似乎要下雨了. It can sometimes open a clause when the subject is understood, but placing it after the subject is the safest choice.