adverbial N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
いかにも — indeed / truly / certainly
いかにも
Meaning
- every bit the ~ / just like a typical ~ — looks or seems exactly as one would picture it
- (before an adjective) truly / really — stressing that the impression fits perfectly
Key sentence
彼はいかにも学生らしい格好をしている。
He's dressed every bit the typical student.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb | いかにも + [noun + らしい / adjective / 〜そう / clause] | いかにも高そうだ |
When: Often pairs with 〜らしい / 〜そう / 〜だ to mark that the impression matches the stereotype.
Examples
いかにも高そうな時計をはめていた。
He was wearing a watch that looked every bit as expensive as you'd imagine.
いかにも日本らしい風景が広がっていた。
A scene that was quintessentially Japanese stretched out before us.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Standalone いかにも means an emphatic 'indeed / quite so' in agreement (「いかにも」= 'Just so'), a somewhat literary use.
See いかにも in real sentences
Jengo shows いかにも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.