The Korean expression “-나 보다” is often translated as “it seems…” or “it looks like…,” but its actual nuance is closer to forming an inference after noticing clues in the current situation, hearing some information, or following the surrounding context. If you see many people outside carrying umbrellas, you can say “비가 오나 봐요.” If a coworker keeps coughing and their voice sounds hoarse, you might say “감기에 걸렸나 봐요.”

However, “-나 보다” does not require a clearly visible piece of evidence every time. It can also express the vague realization that “this is probably what is going on” based on the information currently available. So the real distinction is not as simple as “use -나 보다 when there is evidence and 것 같다 when there is none.” What matters more is whether the speaker is forming an inference from a situation or simply presenting a tentative judgment.

What Does Korean “-나 보다” Mean? The Basic Nuance of Forming an Inference from a Situation

Korean “-나 보다,” along with “-(으)ㄴ가 보다,” “-는가 보다,” and “인가 보다,” can all express conjecture. After receiving some kind of information, the speaker feels that the situation is probably a certain way, so these forms are often translated as “it looks like…,” “apparently…,” or “it seems…”.

The information can be very concrete, such as seeing wet roads and inferring that it rained last night. It can also come from someone’s behavior, what they say, or the surrounding circumstances. The sentence is less certain than a direct statement of fact and still leaves room for the idea that “this is simply how things appear at the moment.”

• Example: 창밖을 보니 비가 오나 봐요.
  Romanization: chang-bak-eul bo-ni bi-ga o-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: Looking outside, it seems to be raining.
  The view outside provides the basis for the inference. Since “비가 오다” describes an action currently happening, “오나 봐요” is used.
• Example: 민수 씨 목소리가 많이 쉬었네요. 감기에 걸렸나 봐요.
  Romanization: min-su ssi mok-so-ri-ga ma-ni swi-eot-ne-yo. gam-gi-e geol-lyeot-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: Minsu’s voice is really hoarse. It looks like he caught a cold.
  His hoarse voice leads the speaker to infer that he has a cold, but the sentence does not imply that a diagnosis has been confirmed.
• Example: 카페에 불이 꺼져 있네요. 오늘은 문을 닫았나 봐요.
  Romanization: ka-pe-e bul-i kkeo-jyeo it-ne-yo. o-neul-eun mun-eul da-dat-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: The café lights are off. It looks like they have already closed for the day.
  The lights being off are what the speaker can currently observe, and from that situation they infer that the café has already closed.

Korean “-나 보다” Conjugation Rules: Verbs, Adjectives, Nouns, and Past Tense

“-나 보다” is often used as the general name for the grammar pattern, but its actual form changes depending on word class and tense. Present-tense verbs most commonly use “-나 보다,” adjectives commonly use “-(으)ㄴ가 보다,” nouns use “인가 보다,” and events that have already happened usually use “-았/었나 보다.”

Actual Korean usage is also less rigid than some beginner textbooks suggest. Adjectives can appear in forms such as “좋나 보다,” while verbs can also use forms such as “가는가 보다.” It is easiest to learn the most common patterns first and then become familiar with these additional forms.

What It Attaches To	Common Form	Example	Typical Meaning
Present verb	Stem＋나 보다	가나 보다	Looks like they are going／will go
Present verb	Stem＋는가 보다	가는가 보다	Looks like they are going
Past verb	Stem＋았/었나 보다	갔나 보다	Looks like they already went
Present adjective	Stem＋(으)ㄴ가 보다	바쁜가 보다	Looks like they are busy
Some adjectives in speech	Stem＋나 보다	좋나 보다	Looks like it is good／looks like they like it
Past adjective	Stem＋았/었나 보다	추웠나 보다	It must have been cold
Noun＋이다	Noun＋인가 보다	학생인가 보다	Looks like they are a student
Past noun	Noun＋이었나／였나 보다	학생이었나 보다	Looks like they used to be a student

Does Korean “-나 보다” Need a Space? Why Must “보다” Be Written Separately?

In this conjectural structure, “보다” does not combine with the preceding form into a single word, so standard Korean orthography requires a space.

✅ 비가 오나 봐요.
✅ 많이 바쁜가 봐요.
✅ 벌써 집에 갔나 봐요.

Do not write:

❌ 비가 오나봐요.
❌ 벌써 갔나봐요.

The spoken forms “봐요” and “봐” are contractions of “보아요” and “보아,” but there is still a space between the preceding “-나／-ㄴ가” and “보다.”

Is Adjective＋“-나 보다” Correct? Basic Rules and Differences in Actual Spoken Korean

Beginner textbooks often summarize the rule as “verb＋나 보다” and “adjective＋(으)ㄴ가 보다.” This is useful for establishing the basic pattern, but real usage is not completely divided this way.

For example:

좋은가 봐요.
좋나 봐요.

Both forms can be encountered. “좋은가 봐요” follows the adjective pattern commonly presented in teaching materials, while “좋나 봐요” is also very natural in actual conversation.

With words such as “재미있다,” “맛있다,” and “없다,” which contain “있다／없다,” you can also encounter:

재미있는가 봐요.
재미있나 봐요.

Both forms are possible. So when you encounter real Korean, you should not automatically assume that an adjective followed by “-나 보다” is incorrect.

Three Common Uses of Korean “-나 보다”: Present Actions, Past Events, and State Inference

“-나 보다” most commonly appears in three kinds of situations: inferring what is happening now, reasoning backward from a present result to an event that has already happened, and judging what state or condition a person or situation is probably in. The form changes according to word class, but the basic direction of inference remains similar.

“-나 보다” Usage ①｜Inferring an Ongoing Action from the Current Situation

Present-tense verbs most commonly use “-나 보다.” After seeing someone’s behavior, hearing a sound, or noticing a change in the surroundings, the speaker can use those clues to infer what is currently happening.

The sentence does not mean that the speaker directly sees the entire event. For example, after hearing construction noise, someone can still say “공사를 하나 봐요,” because what they actually perceive is the noise that provides a clue, not necessarily the construction itself.

• Example: 밖이 계속 시끄럽네요. 근처에서 공사를 하나 봐요.
  Romanization: bak-ki gye-sok si-kkeu-reop-ne-yo. geun-cheo-e-seo gong-sa-reul ha-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: It has been noisy outside. It looks like there is construction going on nearby.
  The ongoing noise provides the basis for inferring that construction is taking place.
• Example: 지수 씨가 휴대전화를 계속 확인하네요. 중요한 연락을 기다리나 봐요.
  Romanization: ji-su ssi-ga hyu-dae-jeon-hwa-reul gye-sok hwak-in-ha-ne-yo. jung-yo-han yeol-lak-eul gi-da-ri-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: Jisu keeps checking her phone. It looks like she is waiting for an important message.
  Repeatedly checking the phone is what the speaker actually observes, while “waiting for an important message” is the inferred reason behind that behavior.
• Example: 안에서 아이들 웃음소리가 들려요. 재미있게 노나 봐요.
  Romanization: an-e-seo a-i-deul u-seum-so-ri-ga deul-lyeo-yo. jae-mi-it-ge no-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: I can hear children laughing inside. It sounds like they are having fun playing.
  The laughter is auditory information, and “노나 봐요” infers what the children are probably doing.

“-나 보다” Usage ②｜Inferring a Past Event from Its Present Result

The past form “-았/었나 보다” is especially useful when the speaker sees a present result and reasons backward to what probably happened earlier. Wet roads, an empty meeting room, or a message that has gone unanswered can all provide clues for reconstructing a past event.

These sentences remain conjectural. For example, “답장이 없으니까 잤나 봐요” does not mean that the other person definitely fell asleep. It simply presents sleeping as a plausible explanation based on the current situation.

• Example: 길이 많이 젖어 있네요. 밤에 비가 왔나 봐요.
  Romanization: gil-i ma-ni jeo-jeo it-ne-yo. bam-e bi-ga wat-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: The road is really wet. It looks like it rained last night.
  What the speaker sees now is the wet road, while the rain last night is an event inferred backward from that result.
• Example: 아직 답장이 없네요. 벌써 잤나 봐요.
  Romanization: a-jik dap-jang-i eop-ne-yo. beol-sseo jat-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: There is still no reply. It looks like they have already gone to sleep.
  There could be many reasons for the lack of a reply, so “잤나 봐요” is only one possible inference and does not present it as fact.
• Example: 회의실에 아무도 없어요. 회의가 벌써 끝났나 봐요.
  Romanization: hoe-ui-sil-e a-mu-do eop-seo-yo. hoe-ui-ga beol-sseo kkeut-nat-na bwa-yo.
  Translation: There is no one in the meeting room. It looks like the meeting has already ended.
  The empty room is the current evidence, while the inferred event is the meeting having ended earlier.

“-(으)ㄴ가 보다” Usage ③｜Inferring Someone’s State, Quality, or Identity

When judging states such as “busy,” “tired,” or “famous,” adjectives commonly use “-(으)ㄴ가 보다.” Noun identities use “인가 보다,” as in “학생인가 봐요” and “새 직원인가 봐요.”

This use still needs to be distinguished from simply describing someone’s visible appearance. “피곤해 보여요” means the person looks tired, while “피곤한가 봐요” goes one step further and infers from appearance, behavior, or other clues that the person is probably genuinely tired.

• Example: 계속 하품을 하네요. 많이 피곤한가 봐요.
  Romanization: gye-sok ha-pum-eul ha-ne-yo. ma-ni pi-gon-han-ga bwa-yo.
  Translation: They keep yawning. They must be really tired.
  The yawning is what the speaker currently observes, while tiredness is the judgment formed from it.
• Example: 식당 앞에 줄이 아주 길어요. 꽤 유명한가 봐요.
  Romanization: sik-dang ap-e jul-i a-ju gi-reo-yo. kkwae yu-myeong-han-ga bwa-yo.
  Translation: There is a very long line in front of the restaurant. It must be pretty famous.
  A long line cannot directly prove how famous the restaurant is, but it provides enough information to support the inference.
• Example: 저분은 새 직원인가 봐요. 직원 안내를 받고 있네요.
  Romanization: jeo-bun-eun sae jig-won-in-ga bwa-yo. jig-won an-nae-reul bat-go it-ne-yo.
  Translation: That person looks like a new employee. They are receiving an employee orientation.
  Receiving the orientation provides the clue for inferring the person’s identity, so the noun “직원＋인가 보다” is used.

Complete Comparison of Korean “-나 보다,” “것 같다,” “모양이다,” and “-겠-”

Korean has several conjectural expressions that can all become “seems,” “looks like,” or “probably” in English. The real differences mainly concern how the speaker arrives at the judgment and how much subjective space the sentence leaves.

“-나 보다” often conveys the sense of noticing something in the situation and thinking, “Ah, so this is probably what is happening.” “것 같다” has a wider range and can express observation, personal impressions, opinions, or future predictions. “모양이다” also commonly infers something from signs or evidence but sounds somewhat more descriptive than everyday “-나 보다.” “-겠-” can express conjecture but also has functions involving volition, future events, and estimates of another person’s state.

Comparison	“-나 보다”	“것 같다”	“모양이다”	“-겠-”
Basic English nuance	Looks like…, apparently…	Seems…, I think…, probably…	It appears…, judging by the situation…	Probably…, must…, will…
Basis of judgment	Current situation, behavior, sounds, previous context	Broadest range: observation, feelings, personal judgment, prediction	Usually external circumstances, results, or signs	Current context, general knowledge, or imagination; can also express volition
Most noticeable nuance	Realizing “this is probably what is going on” after encountering a situation	Keeping one’s judgment tentative rather than stating it absolutely	Organizing observable signs into “the situation appears to be…”	Estimating “probably／must／will” in the moment, or empathizing with someone
Requires an obvious clue?	No, but some contextual basis is usually present	No; it can simply be subjective	Usually gives a stronger sense of external evidence	No; context, common sense, or imagination may be enough
Degree of subjectivity	Contains the speaker’s realization but stays close to the current situation	Broadest and easiest to use for personal judgment	Relatively descriptive, presenting a result inferred from evidence	Depends on context: conjecture, empathy, or volition
Inferring current states	◎ Very common	◎ Very common	◎ Possible	◎ Possible
Inferring past events	◎ Common with -았/었나 보다	◎ Common with forms such as -(으)ㄴ 것 같다	◎ Common with past-related forms	△ Possible in context, but not the most typical past-inference form
Simple future prediction	△ Not the main use; usually needs a current situation as background	◎ Very natural	○ Possible, e.g. -(으)ㄹ 모양이다	◎ Very common
Expressing only a personal feeling	△ Usually less natural than 것 같다 without supporting context	◎ Very natural	△ Usually expects some basis	○ Possible, though nuance varies
Expressing speaker’s volition	✕ No	✕ Not inherently	✕ No	◎ Yes, e.g. 제가 하겠습니다
Inferring another person’s feelings	○ Possible, usually from behavior	◎ Possible	○ Possible, but more observational	◎ Very common, e.g. 힘들겠어요
Natural in conversation	◎ Very high	◎ Extremely high	○ Possible, but slightly more descriptive	◎ Very high
Narrative／written feel	Low to medium	Low to medium depending on context	Medium	Depends on context
What the speaker sounds like they are doing	“Seeing this, apparently…”	“At the moment, I think it might be…”	“Judging from these signs, it appears…”	“Given the situation, it must／probably will…”
Common situations	Seeing a line, hearing a sound, observing behavior, noticing a result	Opinions, personal impressions, future predictions, uncertain judgments	Inferring what happened or what the current situation is from signs	Weather predictions, imagining another person’s feelings, future estimates, volition
Representative example	비가 오나 봐요. It looks like it is raining.	비가 올 것 같아요. It seems like it is going to rain.	비가 온 모양이에요. It looks like it rained.	비가 오겠어요. Looks like it will rain／It will probably rain.
Most common confusion	Do not memorize it as “only when there is evidence”	Do not treat it as “only when there is no evidence”	Overlaps with -나 보다 in evidence-based inference	Does more than conjecture; it also expresses volition and futurity
Simplest diagnostic	Does it feel like “I encountered this situation and realized…”?	Are you simply leaving your overall judgment tentative or predicting the future?	Are you organizing external signs into “it appears that…”?	Are you estimating an outcome, imagining someone’s situation, or expressing intention?

▌“-나 보다” vs. “것 같다”｜Situation-Based Inference vs. a Broader Tentative Judgment

“-나 보다” and “것 같다” cannot be rigidly divided into “with evidence” and “without evidence.” Both can be based on observable information. The difference is closer to how the speaker chooses to present the judgment.

When someone keeps yawning:

✅ 많이 피곤한가 봐요.
They must be very tired.

This sentence readily gives the impression that the speaker notices the yawning and realizes, “Ah, they must be tired.”

✅ 많이 피곤한 것 같아요.
They seem very tired.

This is equally natural, but “것 같다” presents the judgment in a more neutral and broadly tentative way.

When predicting a future event that has not yet happened, “것 같다” is often more convenient:

✅ 내일 비가 올 것 같아요.
It seems like it might rain tomorrow.

A simple future prediction like this does not need to force the use of “-나 보다.”

▌“-나 보다” vs. “모양이다”｜Conversational Realization vs. Slightly More Descriptive Inference

“모양이다” and “-나 보다” are actually very close, and both work well for inferring something from existing signs.

✅ 사람이 없는 걸 보니 벌써 끝났나 봐요.
There is no one here, so it looks like it has already ended.

✅ 사람이 없는 걸 보니 벌써 끝난 모양이에요.
There is no one here, so apparently it has already ended.

The two sentences are close in meaning. “-나 보다” is extremely natural in ordinary conversation, while “모양이다” has a slightly more descriptive feel, as though the speaker has organized the available clues into a conclusion. Their usage often overlaps, so there is no need to force an absolute boundary between them.

▌“-나 보다” vs. “-겠-”｜Realizing a Situation vs. Immediate Estimation

“-겠-” has a much broader range of functions than “-나 보다.” It can express the speaker’s intention, predict the future, and is also often used to estimate another person’s feelings based on the current situation.

Seeing someone dressed very lightly:

추운가 봐요.
They seem to be cold.

춥겠어요.
You must be cold.

“추운가 봐요” sounds more like the speaker infers from shivering or body language that the person is currently cold. “춥겠어요,” by contrast, often carries the nuance of putting oneself in the other person’s position and thinking, “You must be cold like that.”

As for:

제가 하겠습니다.
I’ll do it.

Here, “-겠-” expresses volition and has nothing to do with a function that “-나 보다” could replace.

▌“-나 보다” vs. “-아/어 보이다”｜Inferring the Real State vs. Describing Appearance

The most direct function of “-아/어 보이다” is to describe how something looks.

피곤해 보여요.
You look tired.

피곤한가 봐요.
You must be tired.

The first sentence stops at the visible impression: facial expression or appearance makes the person look tired. The second takes those signs one step further and infers that the person is probably genuinely in a tired state.

The two frequently occur in the same real-life situations, so the difference is not that one is right and the other is wrong. It is about how far the sentence goes in interpreting the visible signs.

Comparing “-나 보다,” “것 같다,” and “-아/어 보이다” in the Same Situation

Suppose a coworker has been yawning all day and can barely keep their eyes open. All three expressions may work.

• 피곤해 보여요.
  You look tired.
  This sentence describes appearance.
• 피곤한가 봐요.
  You must be tired.
  This sentence infers the person’s actual current state from their appearance and behavior.
• 피곤한 것 같아요.
  They seem tired.
  This sentence presents the speaker’s overall judgment tentatively and has the broadest range.

Now consider weather:

• 하늘이 많이 흐리네요. 비가 올 것 같아요.
  The sky is really cloudy. It looks like it is going to rain.
  This predicts a future event that has not yet happened, so “것 같다” is natural.
• 밖에 있는 사람들이 모두 우산을 쓰고 있네요. 비가 오나 봐요.
  Everyone outside is carrying an umbrella. It looks like it is raining.
  Here, there is already a current situation from which the speaker can infer that rain is falling now, so “-나 보다” fits particularly well.

Common Mistakes with Korean “-나 보다”: Adjectives, 있다／없다, and Usage Limits

The three areas where “-나 보다” most often causes problems are attaching every word class in the same way, automatically treating adjective＋“-나 보다” as incorrect, and using it as a universal replacement for every expression meaning “seems.”

▌How Do You Use Adjective “-(으)ㄴ가 보다”? Basic Conjugation and Spoken Variations

For learning purposes, first memorize:

바쁘다 → 바쁜가 봐요
춥다 → 추운가 봐요
예쁘다 → 예쁜가 봐요

This is the easiest starting point.

In actual Korean, however, you may also encounter:

좋나 봐요.
아프나 봐요.

So the statement “adjectives can never use 나 보다” is not accurate. In formal writing or when first building a grammar system, it is reasonable to prioritize “-(으)ㄴ가 보다” and then treat “-나 보다” as an additional form you will encounter in real language.

▌How Do 있다／없다 Work? Can Both “재미있는가 봐요” and “재미있나 봐요” Be Used?

Words such as “재미있다,” “맛있다,” and “없다” are somewhat special and can appear with both “-는가 보다” and “-나 보다.”

재미있는가 봐요.
재미있나 봐요.
맛있는가 봐요.
맛있나 봐요.

“맛있나 봐요” is especially common in ordinary speech. So when you see many people lined up outside a restaurant, rather than forcing the sentence into one form simply to match a conjugation chart, you can naturally say:

사람이 정말 많네요. 맛있나 봐요.
There are really a lot of people. It must be good.

▌Can You Use “-나 보다” When You Already Know the Answer? Confirmed Facts vs. Conjecture

“-나 보다” leaves room for inference. If there is an official notice on the door saying “Closed Today,” after reading it you can simply say:

오늘은 휴무예요.
They are closed today.

That is enough.

If you only arrive and find that the lights are off and the door is locked:

오늘은 쉬나 봐요.
It looks like they are closed today.

That is when the conjectural nuance becomes appropriate.

▌Can You Use “-나 보다” Without an Obvious Situation? How Do You Choose Between It and “것 같다”?

If there is no concrete situation and you simply have a vague feeling that something good might happen today:

✅ 왠지 오늘 좋은 일이 있을 것 같아요.
For some reason, I feel like something good might happen today.

“것 같다” is very natural here. “-나 보다” more readily makes the listener expect some kind of surrounding situation or prior information that supports the judgment.

Everyday Korean “-나 보다” Examples: Rain, Meetings, and Restaurant Lines

“-나 보다” works especially well in situations where people observe something while talking. Umbrellas on the street, an empty meeting room, or a long line outside a restaurant can all lead the speaker to form an immediate but not fully confirmed judgment. This sense of “noticing the situation and then realizing something” is also why the expression appears so often in everyday Korean conversation.

▌Situation ①｜Seeing People Carry Umbrellas and Inferring That It Is Raining

A：밖에 있는 사람들이 다 우산을 쓰고 있네요.
　　bak-ke it-neun sa-ram-deul-i da u-san-eul sseu-go it-ne-yo.
　　Everyone outside is carrying an umbrella.

B：비가 오나 봐요. 우산을 챙겨야겠네요.
　　bi-ga o-na bwa-yo. u-san-eul chaeng-gyeo-ya-get-ne-yo.
　　It looks like it is raining. I should bring an umbrella.

📌 Grammar Point: The speaker first sees everyone carrying umbrellas and then infers that it is currently raining. “오나 봐요” describes the present situation, not simply a prediction that it may rain later.

▌Situation ②｜Inferring from an Empty Meeting Room That the Meeting Has Ended

A：회의실에 아무도 없고 불도 꺼져 있어요.
　　hoe-ui-sil-e a-mu-do eop-go bul-do kkeo-jyeo i-sseo-yo.
　　There is no one in the meeting room, and the lights are off.

B：회의가 벌써 끝났나 봐요.
　　hoe-ui-ga beol-sseo kkeut-nat-na bwa-yo.
　　It looks like the meeting has already ended.

📌 Grammar Point: What the speaker currently sees is the state of the room, while what they are inferring is the completed past event “회의가 끝났다.” Therefore, “끝났나 봐요” is used.

▌Situation ③｜Seeing a Long Line and Inferring That a Restaurant Is Popular or Good

A：저 식당은 사람이 정말 많네요.
　　jeo sik-dang-eun sa-ram-i jeong-mal man-ne-yo.
　　There are really a lot of people at that restaurant.

B：맛있나 봐요. 줄이 계속 길어지네요.
　　ma-sit-na bwa-yo. jul-i gye-sok gi-reo-ji-ne-yo.
　　It must be good. The line keeps getting longer.

📌 Grammar Point: The number of people waiting is only a clue for inferring that the food tastes good; it does not confirm the taste. “맛있나 봐요” is very natural in this type of everyday conversation.

Cultural Notes:

1. In everyday Korean, “-나 봐요” frequently appears together with newly observed circumstances, giving it a slight sense of “seeing this, I guess…”. It is not like a formal logical report that emphasizes evidence; rather, it naturally turns the current situation into a temporary answer during conversation.
2. “그런가 봐요” is also an extremely common response. After hearing someone’s explanation, if you think the situation is probably as they described, you can reply “그런가 봐요,” which is close to “I guess so” or “Looks like that’s the case.” The clue here comes from the preceding conversation rather than something personally observed.
3. “-나 봐” removes the polite ending from “-나 봐요” and is appropriate between close friends or family members. In the workplace or with people you do not know well, “-나 봐요／-(으)ㄴ가 봐요” is the safer choice.

How Does Korean “-나 보다” Compare with Japanese “〜ようだ／〜みたいだ”?

Korean “-나 보다” and Japanese “〜ようだ／〜みたいだ” can all express inference based on the current situation, so many sentences can be compared directly. Japanese “〜ようだ” is somewhat more neutral or written, while “〜みたいだ” is more conversational. Korean “-나 보다,” meanwhile, appears very frequently in everyday conversations where the speaker forms a judgment after noticing a particular situation.

◆ Similar Grammar: Japanese “〜ようだ／〜みたいだ”

• Example: 外にいる人がみんな傘を差している。雨が降っているみたいだ。
  Kana: そとにいるひとがみんなかさをさしている。あめがふっているみたいだ。
  Translation: Everyone outside is carrying an umbrella. It looks like it is raining.
  The weather is inferred from what the people outside are doing, making the nuance similar to Korean “비가 오나 봐요.”
• Example: 会議室には誰もいない。もう会議は終わったようだ。
  Kana: かいぎしつにはだれもいない。もうかいぎはおわったようだ。
  Translation: There is no one in the meeting room. It looks like the meeting has already ended.
  The current state of the room provides the basis for the judgment, just as “회의가 끝났나 봐요” infers an event from its result.
• Example: ずっとあくびをしている。かなり疲れているみたいだ。
  Kana: ずっとあくびをしている。かなりつかれているみたいだ。
  Translation: They keep yawning. It looks like they are quite tired.
  Japanese “みたいだ” is very natural in spoken language and, like Korean “피곤한가 봐요,” infers a state from someone’s behavior.

◆ Main Differences from “-나 보다”:

Japanese “〜ようだ／〜みたいだ” can express not only conjecture but also similarity and metaphor, as in “雪のようだ” and “子どもみたいだ,” so their range is broader than Korean “-나 보다.” If Korean is simply expressing that two things look similar, “-나 보다” generally cannot be substituted directly.

Japanese “〜らしい” may also correspond to some uses of “-나 보다,” especially when making an inference based on indirect information, as in “田中さんは来ないらしい.” However, “〜らしい” also has functions involving hearsay and typical characteristics, so the two grammar patterns should not be treated as fixed equivalents.

What you really need to remember about “-나 보다” is that the speaker is forming a temporary judgment from the current situation. “비가 오나 봐요” is not simply making the sentence vague; something in the surroundings or preceding context has made “it is raining now” the most reasonable answer at that moment.

At the same time, “clue＝-나 보다, no clue＝것 같다” is also too simplistic. “것 같다” can equally be based on evidence, but its range is broader and it works especially well for subjective impressions and future predictions. When organizing the usage of Korean “-나 보다,” it is more practical to picture the speaker “noticing a situation and then realizing what is probably happening,” and then compare that with “것 같다” when choosing which form fits a real conversation.

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