Japanese Grammar Bank

HOW TO USE そう IN JAPANESE

Using そう sou can be a difficult grammar point to get your head around for a Japanese learner.

There are actually two distinct uses of そう, but today, we will focus on the one used to express “to appear like/seem like”.

USING そう FOR SEEM / APPEAR LIKE

そう can be used to talk about things that seem like they might happen from visual cues.

For example, if you see big black clouds, you will say that you think it seems like it will rain.

It can also be used to express the fact that you foresee yourself feeling a certain way.

For example, we use 美味しそう oishisou to mean “it looks delicious,” as you foresee yourself being happy with the taste when you eat the food.

To use it in this way, you can attach そう to the end of verbs and adjectives as below.

For this one, you don’t need to put だ da /ですdesu at the end of the sentence.

PATTERN

Verb / Adjective + そう

Use the stem of the verb and add そう:

  • For るru-verbs, remove the る.
  • For う u-verbs, change the う vowel sound to an い vowel sound.
  • For い i-adjectives, drop the い except for いい which becomes よさ yosa.
  • For all negative tenses, replace the い with さ (ない nai becomes なさそうnasasou)

NOTE || そう sou can’t be attached to nouns. You should use みたい mitai when you want to attach to a noun.

Here are some examples to get your head around the conjugation rules:

  • Verb in stem form: バランスが崩れて、一瞬倒れそうだった。
  • Losing my balance, I seemed likely to fall for a moment.
  • Dropping the い in い i-adjectives: この寿司はおいしそう
  • This sushi looks good!
  • Exception for いい: これも結構よさそうだけど、やっぱり高いよね
  • This one also seems to be good but, as expected, it’s expensive, huh?

Interestingly, the conjugation rules are exactly the same as those for the ～すぎる sugiru grammar point.

The only exception is the adjective いい which becomes よさ before adding そう to create よさそう.

Kanojo wa neko ga suki sou.

彼女は猫が好きそう。

She seems to like cats.
Ano yama wa takasou da.

あの山は高そうだ。

That mountain seems high.
View More Examples:
JAPANESEROMAJIENGLISH
あのレストランは美味しいそうだ。Ano resutoran wa oishii sou da.That restaurant seems to be delicious.
明日は晴れるそうです。Ashita wa hareru sou desu.It seems like it will be sunny tomorrow.
彼は元気そうだね。Kare wa genki sou da ne.He seems energetic, doesn’t he?
この本は面白そう。Kono hon wa omoshiro sou.This book looks interesting.
その映画は怖いそうだ。Sono eiga wa kowai sou da.I heard that movie is scary.
彼は頭がいいそうです。Kare wa atama ga ii sou desu.He appears to be smart.
今晩は寒そうだ。Konban wa samui sou da.It looks cold tonight.
この料理は辛そう。Kono ryouri wa karai sou.This dish seems spicy.
彼女は忙しいそうです。Kanojo wa isogashii sou desu.She seems to be busy.

USING そう FOR HEARSAY

Here’s the confusing bit. You can express hearsay using そうだ sou da.

This grammar helps convey information you’ve heard and is not necessarily about your thoughts or feelings.

You can attach そうだ to casual form verbs (e.g., 行くiku、行った itta、行きたいikitai、行かないikanai, etc.) and いi-adjectives without much fuss.

But, for な na-adjectives and nouns, you need to add だ da.

Remember that for this meaning, そうmust always end with だ / です / でございます.

JAPANESEROMAJIENGLISH
彼は来週結婚するそうです。Kare wa raishuu kekkon suru sou desu.I heard that he is getting married next week.
あの映画は感動的だそうです。Ano eiga wa kandouteki da sou desu.They say that movie is touching.
彼女は新しい仕事に成功したそうです。Kanojo wa atarashii shigoto ni seikou shita sou desu.I heard that she succeeded in her new job.
View More Examples:
japaneseromajienglish
この店の料理は美味しいそうです。Kono mise no ryouri wa oishii sou desu.They say the food at this restaurant is delicious.
彼の家はとても大きいそうです。Kare no ie wa totemo ookii sou desu.I heard that his house is very big.
あのイベントは楽しかったそうです。Ano ibento wa tanoshikatta sou desu.They say that event was fun.
彼は新しい車を買ったそうです。Kare wa atarashii kuruma o katta sou desu.I heard he bought a new car.
この町は平和だそうです。Kono machi wa heiwa da sou desu.They say this town is peaceful.
彼の犬はとても賢いそうです。Kare no inu wa totemo kashikoi sou desu.I heard that his dog is very smart.
あの本は面白いそうです。Ano hon wa omoshiroi sou desu.They say that book is interesting.
彼は病気だそうです。Kare wa byouki da sou desu.I heard that he is sick.

One interesting thing with this is that it is often used when someone absolutely knows something.

For example, at a work retirement party a boss might be talking about the retiree’s work history, and say, “アメリカで10年間働いていたそうです amerika de jyuu nen kan hataraiteita sou desu (It seems he worked for 10 years in America),” despite full well knowing.

This ties into the whole Japanese thing of not wanting to be too brash and be a know-it-all.

SUMMARY

Here is a summary of all the ways to use そう, as studied in this lesson:

  • そう can be used to express that “x seems like y”. 
  • そう doesn’t need to be followed by だ or です.
  • そう can’t be appended to nouns, in that case you have to use みたい.
  • そうだ is a separate grammar point to そう and is used to express hearsay. 

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FAQs

How to use そう in Japanese?

Here is a summary of all the ways to use そう:

そう can be used to express that “x seems like y”. 

そう doesn’t need to be followed by だ or です.

そう can’t be appended to nouns, in that case you have to use みたい.

そうだ is a separate grammar point to そう and is used to express hearsay. 

How to use adjectives in Japanese?

The Japanese ii adjectives can be used with 2 structures:

Adjective + Noun + です.

Noun + は + adjective + です.

The na adjectives can also be used with 2 structures:

Adjective + Noun + です.

Noun + は + adjective (remove な) + です.

Check out our lesson for sentence examples.

How to say if in Japanese?

There is several ways to say if in Japanese, depending on the situation. To summarise:

ば is used for real or concrete situations.

たら is used for hypothetical or speculative situations.

なら is used for conjecture or assumption. 

と is used for expressing natural consequence.

もし adds an extra air of uncertainty. Often combined with one of the above conditionals.

Check out our full article about if in Japanese here.

How to say with in Japanese?

The particle と (to) is a versatile particle in Japanese that is often used to indicate the person, thing, or entity that someone is “with” or “together with.”

This particle can be used with both animate and inanimate objects.

Examples:

彼は猫と暮らしています。

Kare wa neko to kurasu shiteimasu.

He lives with a cat.

私は彼と一緒に勉強します。

Watashi wa kare to issho ni benkyou shimasu.

I study with him.

Check out our full article about with in Japanese here.

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