どうやら
Apparently, Looks Like, Seems like
Structure
(1) ようだ、そうだ 、らしい、って 感じだ
Explanation
どうやら conveys the meaning of 'apparently' or 'it looks like', and it frequently appears alongside other expressions of conjecture, such as ようだ, そうだ, and らしい. In these cases, どうやら serves to highlight the speculative nature of a statement that the speaker is already uncertain about. This is similar in feel to the English phrase 'for some reason, it appears that (A)'.
In line with other adverbs of speculation or degree, どうやら is typically placed at the start of a sentence, influencing the feel of the whole statement.
- 雨はもうやんだかな？まだかな？どうやらまだ降っているみたいだね。Has the rain stopped yet? Maybe not? It seems like it's still coming down.
- どうやらこのパソコンは故障したようだ。It looks like this computer has broken down.
- どうやらあの店は閉店するらしいよ。From what I hear, that store is apparently closing down.
Fun-fact
While it functions as a single adverb, どうやら was originally formed from どう ('how') and the 助詞 (particle) やら, which indicates uncertainty about one or more items. With this history in mind, it is conceptually similar to adding 'or something like that' in English to show that a statement is not definite.
- 同僚の田中さんがどうやら来週から昇進するらしいですよ。My colleague, Tanaka-san, is apparently getting a promotion starting next week, or so I've heard.
Examples
あの猫、どうやら寝ているみたいだね。
It looks like that cat is sleeping.
どうやら風邪をひいてしまったようだ。
It seems I've caught a cold.
どうやら電車が遅延しているらしい。
Apparently, the train is delayed.
彼はどうやら財布を忘れたみたいだよ。
It looks like he forgot his wallet.
どうやら今日の会議は中止になったようです。
It seems that today's meeting has been cancelled.
どうやら、私は電車を乗り間違えたらしい。
It seems I got on the wrong train.
彼女はどうやらかなり疲れているようだ。
It seems like she is quite tired.
あのレストランは、どうやら火曜日が定休日らしいよ。
Apparently, that restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.
台風は、どうやら予想より早く到着するらしいです。
It seems the typhoon will arrive earlier than expected.
客：「どうやら、この席はもう取られているみたいですね…」
Customer: 'It looks like this seat is already taken...'
客A：「なんで閉まってるんだろう？」
客B：「どうやら今日は臨時休業のようだね。」
Customer A: 'I wonder why it's closed.'
Customer B: 'It looks like they're temporarily closed for the day.'
聞いた？ どうやら 部長は今日、すごく機嫌がいいらしいよ。
Did you hear? Apparently, the department manager is in a really good mood today.