~것 같다
I think; it seems; it looks like (everyday spoken hedge)
Modifier + bound noun 것 ('thing/fact') + 같- ('is similar, is like'). The construction does double duty: literal 'it seems / looks like' (genuine conjecture) and figurative 'I think' (a hedge speakers reach for even when there's no real uncertainty — picture someone coughing and sneezing as they say 감기 걸린 것 같아요: they know they have a cold; the hedge just softens the assertion). All six modifier forms work, so the same construction handles future, ongoing, completed, and counterfactual events. Also attaches directly to nouns: 여름 같아요 ('It feels like summer').
Use & Meaning
~것 같다 is the everyday Korean construction for “it seems that…”. Structurally it’s a verb in any of the six modifier forms + the bound noun 것 (“thing, fact”) + the verb 같- (“is the same as, is similar to, is like”). Literally: “it is like [the fact of X].” The pattern is extremely popular in spoken Korean — the everyday catch-all for both genuine conjecture and the kind of polite hedging English speakers do with “I think…”.
The two uses:
Use 1 — Literal “it seems that…” (genuine conjecture). The speaker is making an observation or inference and isn’t fully sure:
- 비가 올 것 같아요. — It seems like it will rain.
- 그 영화가 재미있을 것 같아요. — That movie will probably be interesting.
- 건망증이 심해지는 것 같아요. — My forgetfulness seems to be getting worse.
Use 2 — Figurative “I think…” (hedge / softener). Some speakers reach for ~것 같다 even when there’s no real doubt or question of seeming (a use first called out by King & Yeon 2002). It functions as a politeness-softener that takes the edge off a definite assertion. Picture the canonical scenario: someone coughing and sniffling says 감기 걸린 것 같아요 (“I [seem to] have caught a cold”) — they obviously know they have a cold; the construction just softens the claim.
This is why ~것 같다 ends up everywhere in everyday speech. Korean prefers indirect, hedged statements in many contexts where English would just say “I think” or even bare assertions; ~것 같다 is the workhorse for that softening.
- 오늘은 기분이 좋은 것 같아요. — Today he seems to be in a good mood.
- 좀 더 연습할 시간을 주셨으면 좋았을 것 같아요. — I think it would have been better if you’d given us more time to practice.
All six modifier forms. This construction handles essentially any time-frame, because Korean’s six modifier shapes all combine cleanly with it:
| Modifier | Form | Time-frame |
|---|---|---|
| Prospective | ~(으)ㄹ 것 같다 | Future / will / would |
| Present dynamic | ~는 것 같다 | Ongoing / habitual |
| State/result | ~(으)ㄴ 것 같다 | Past / completed / state (descriptive verbs) |
| Continuous past | ~던 것 같다 | Was doing / used to be |
| Discontinuous past | ~았/었던 것 같다 | Had been / had done |
| Prospective past | ~았/었을 것 같다 | Would have / counterfactual |
Examples for each:
- 비가 올 것 같아요. — It seems like it will rain. (prospective)
- 비가 오는 것 같아요. — It seems like it is raining. (present dynamic)
- 비가 온 것 같아요. — It seems like it has rained. (state/result)
- 비가 오던 것 같아요. — It seems like it was raining. (continuous past)
- 비가 왔던 것 같아요. — It seems like it had rained. (discontinuous past)
- 비가 왔을 것 같아요. — It seems like it would have rained. (prospective past)
Noun-attached form: N + 같아요. The verb 같- can also follow a noun directly, without the modifier + 것 frame. This is a separate but related use of 같-:
- 여름 같아요. — It feels like summer.
- 그 소녀는 천사 같아요. — That girl is like an angel.
How to attach it (modifier + 것 같다):
- Prospective ~(으)ㄹ: vowel/ㄹ-ending stem + ~ㄹ 것 같다, consonant-ending stem + ~을 것 같다
- 가다 → 갈 것 같다, 먹다 → 먹을 것 같다, 좋다 → 좋을 것 같다
- Present dynamic ~는 (action verbs only): stem + ~는 것 같다
- 가다 → 가는 것 같다, 먹다 → 먹는 것 같다
- State/result ~(으)ㄴ: vowel/ㄹ-ending stem + ~ㄴ 것 같다, consonant-ending stem + ~은 것 같다
- 가다 → 간 것 같다, 먹다 → 먹은 것 같다, 좋다 → 좋은 것 같다
- Past prospective ~았/었을: stem + ~았/었 + ~을 것 같다
- 오다 → 왔을 것 같다, 먹다 → 먹었을 것 같다
See also. Three closely related constructions overlap with ~것 같다’s territory:
- ~(으)ㄹ/(으)ㄴ/는 모양이다 (§8.2.21) — also “it seems,” but lands more formal/written. Has a “judging from the situation” feel that comes from the literal sense of 모양 (“shape, form”).
- ~(으)ㄹ/(으)ㄴ/는 듯하다 (§8.2.15) — close synonym, more literary register.
- ~나 보- / ~(으)ㄴ가 보- — also conjectural, but specifically inferring from sensory evidence about a third party; doesn’t work with first-person subjects.
Tip: When you don’t know which conjecture form to use, default to ~것 같다. It’s the unmarked choice — the general-purpose conjecture and softener, the one a learner can use almost anywhere without sounding off. Reach for ~(으)ㄹ/(으)ㄴ/는 모양이다 only when the register is more formal or when you’re explicitly judging from circumstantial evidence; reach for ~나 보- only when you’re talking about someone or something other than yourself, with a clear sensory-inference frame.