Japanese grammar
What does ～そうだ (appearance) mean? Japanese grammar N4
～そうだ (appearance) means looks like ~, seems about to ~.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | Vます (drop ます) + そうだ Aい (drop い) + そうだ Aな + そうだ |
| Romaji | ~ sō da |
| Meaning | looks like ~, seems about to ~ |
How to use it
Making a judgment based on a directly observed sign about a state or something about to happen.
- そうだ in the "appearance" meaning is based on what's observed right in front of you: dark clouds so it "looks like it's about to rain", food that "looks tasty". It attaches to the masu stem or the adjective stem, not to a whole plain-form sentence.
- Two important exceptions: いい → よさそうだ; ない → なさそうだ. The negative of a verb is usually Vそうにない, emphasizing low likelihood.
Examples
空が暗くなりました。雨が降りそうです。
The sky has grown dark. It looks like it is going to rain.
この料理はとてもおいしそうです。
This dish looks very delicious.
Keep in mind
- Not used directly with nouns in the "appearance" meaning. To infer "it seems to be N", use Nのようだ or Nらしい.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこのかばんはいいそうです。（meaning "looks good"）
Correctこのかばんはよさそうです。
いい changes to よさそう in the "appearance" meaning. いいそうだ is easily misunderstood as "I heard it's good".
Exam tips
- If what precedes the blank is a masu stem or an adjective with い dropped, it's the "appearance" そうだ; if it's a whole plain-form sentence, it's the "hearsay" そうだ.