Looking like: 〜そうだ（appearance）
Verb stem + そうだ; い-adj (without い) + そうだ; な-adj + そうだ
Verb stem / adjective without い + そうだ: “to look, it looks like”. いい → よさそう, ない → なさそう; そうな + noun, そうに + verb.
In short
This そうだ says what you guess from looking: “to look, it looks like…”. With a verb, it often announces what's about to happen (雨が 降りそうだ: it looks like it's going to rain, judging by the sky). It attaches to the verb stem or to an adjective minus its い.
- この ケーキ、おいしそうですね。この ケーキ、おいしそうですね。This cake looks delicious.
- 雨が 降りそうです。あめが ふりそうです。It looks like it's going to rain.
- 子どもが うれしそうに 走って います。こどもが うれしそうに はしって います。The child is running around looking really happy.
- その かばん、高そうですね。その かばん、たかそうですね。That bag looks expensive.
The basics
You see a cake in a shop window: you haven't tasted it, but it looks good. That's exactly what 〜そうだ says: an immediate impression, based on what's in front of you.
With a verb, そうだ often announces something that's about to happen: the sky is black, so 雨が 降りそうだ (it looks like rain). With an adjective, it describes how a thing or a person looks.
This cake looks good.
- noun
- adjective
- grammatical form
- この シャツ、ちょっと 小さそうだね。この シャツ、ちょっと ちいさそうだね。This shirt looks a bit small.
- ボタンが とれそうです。ボタンが とれそうです。The button looks like it's about to come off.
How to form it
Verb: take the stem (the ます-form without ます). い-adjective: drop い. な-adjective: just add そう. Two exceptions to remember: いい becomes よさそう, and ない becomes なさそう.
| Type | Word | With そう | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| verb | 降る（降ります） | 降りそうだ | it looks like rain |
| い-adjective | おいしい | おいしそうだ | to look tasty |
| な-adjective | 静か | 静かそうだ | to look quiet |
| exception | いい | よさそうだ | to look good |
| exception | ない | なさそうだ | there doesn't seem to be |
- この アプリ、便利そうですね。この アプリ、べんりそうですね。This app looks handy.
- あの 店は よさそうだ。あの みせは よさそうだ。That restaurant looks good.
Before a noun, before a verb, in the negative
そう behaves like a な-adjective: 〜そうな + noun (おいしそうな ケーキ), 〜そうに + verb (おいしそうに 食べる: to eat with gusto).
In the negative, for an adjective, say 〜なさそう: おいしくなさそう (it doesn't look good), 静かじゃなさそう. For a verb, say 〜そうに ない or 〜そうも ない: “it's not likely to happen”.
- おいしそうな パンが ならんで います。おいしそうな パンが ならんで います。Delicious-looking loaves are lined up.
- この 店の ラーメンは あまり おいしくなさそうだ。この みせの ラーメンは あまり おいしくなさそうだ。The ramen at this place don't look very good.
- この 仕事は 今日中に 終わりそうに ありません。この しごとは きょうじゅうに おわりそうに ありません。This work isn't likely to be finished today.
When not to use it
そう is for guessing. If the thing is plain to see, there's nothing to guess: you don't say “赤そう” for an apple you can see is red, or “きれいそう” for someone whose beauty is obvious. Just say 赤い, きれいだ.
Nor do you attach this そう to a noun: “学生そう” doesn't exist. For “to look like a student”, use 〜みたい or 〜らしい, coming right after.
- あの 人は 優しそうです。あの ひとは やさしそうです。That person looks kind. (you're guessing)
Common mistakes
- Mixing it up with the “I hear that” そうだ: おいしそう (it looks good) ≠ おいしいそう (they say it's good). The difference is the い!
- Saying “いいそう” for “to look good”: it's よさそう.
- Adding そう to a noun (“学生そう”) or to something plain to see (“赤そう”).
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N4 point is on the Sennichimae Line (Nights out) of the Osaka subway.