〜そうだ (Hearsay): 'I Heard That…' Reporting What You're Told
What it means
This そうだ is the hearsay (伝聞, denbun) marker. You use it when you're reporting something you read, heard, or were told — you are not the original source. It's the spoken-and-written equivalent of "I hear…," "I heard that…," or "they say…."
The key feature: it attaches to a full plain-form clause and itself never changes form. There's no past そうだった or negative そうじゃない in the hearsay meaning — the tense and polarity live inside the clause before そうだ.
天気予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ。
てんきよほうに よると、あしたは あめだ そうだ。
According to the weather forecast, I hear it'll rain tomorrow.
によると names the source; だそうだ reports it.
先生は明日来ないそうだ。
せんせいは あしたこない そうだ。
I hear the teacher isn't coming tomorrow.
モチの話では、その店はとても安いそうです。
モチの はなしでは、その みせは とても やすい そうです。
From what Mochi says, that shop is really cheap.
How to form it
Take a clause in plain form and add そうだ (or polite そうです). The trick is the connector: verbs and い-adjectives attach directly, but nouns and な-adjectives need だ first.
| Word type | Plain form | + hearsay そうだ |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | 来る / 来ない / 来た | 来るそうだ / 来ないそうだ / 来たそうだ |
| い-adjective | 安い / 安かった | 安いそうだ / 安かったそうだ |
| な-adjective | 元気 | 元気だそうだ |
| Noun | 学生 | 学生だそうだ |
Note that 元気だそうだ ("I hear they're well") and 学生だそうだ ("I hear they're a student") keep the だ — dropping it changes the meaning entirely (see the contrast section below).
Reporting different tenses and polarities
Because the clause carries its own tense, you can report past, negative, and past-negative facts — そうだ stays put:
ヤッタンはテストに合格したそうだ。
ヤッタンは テストに ごうかくした そうだ。
I hear Yattan passed the test.
弟は野菜が好きじゃないそうだ。
おとうとは やさいが すきじゃない そうだ。
I hear my little brother doesn't like vegetables.
The negative is inside the clause, not on そうだ.
昔、ここは海だったそうです。
むかし、ここは うみだった そうです。
They say this place used to be the sea long ago.
Past noun だった, then そうです.
Pairing with 〜によると ("according to")
Hearsay そうだ almost begs for a stated source. The usual partner is 〜によると ("according to…"), or the softer 〜の話では ("from what … says"):
ニュースによると、来週から寒くなるそうだ。
ニュースに よると、らいしゅうから さむくなる そうだ。
According to the news, I hear it'll get cold from next week.
ヤッタンの弟の話では、先生はとても優しいそうです。
ヤッタンの おとうとの はなしでは、せんせいは とても やさしい そうです。
From what Yattan's brother says, the teacher is very kind.
The crucial contrast: hearsay そう vs looks-like そう
There are two そう, and they mean opposite kinds of things. Telling them apart is mostly about what そう attaches to.
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hearsay (伝聞) そうだ | I heard / they say — reported info | おいしいそうだ = I hear it's tasty (someone told me) |
| Looks-like (様態) そうだ | it looks/seems — your own impression | おいしそうだ = it looks tasty (I'm guessing from sight) |
The signals to watch:
- Hearsay attaches to a full plain form: い-adjective keeps its い (おいしいそうだ), nouns/な-adjectives take だ (元気だそうだ). It never conjugates.
- Looks-like attaches to a stem: the い is dropped (おいし‐そう), な-adjectives lose だ (元気そう), and it behaves like a な-adjective itself, so it can conjugate (おいしそうなケーキ, おいしそうだった).
このケーキはおいしいそうだ。
この ケーキは おいしい そうだ。
I hear this cake is tasty.
Hearsay: keeps おいしい — someone told me.
このケーキはおいしそうだ。
この ケーキは おいし そうだ。
This cake looks tasty.
Looks-like: drops the い — my own impression.
For other ways to report or guess, Japanese also has らしい ("apparently," often hearsay-flavored) and ようだ/みたい ("it seems," based on evidence). If you want to see those side by side, compare ようだ vs らしい vs みたい.
Common mistakes
- Conjugating そうだ in the hearsay meaning. There's no 雨だそうだった for "I heard it would rain." Put the tense inside the clause: 雨だったそうだ ("I hear it was raining / I hear it had rained").
- Dropping だ after a noun or な-adjective. "I hear they're a student" is 学生だそうだ. 学生そうだ would (wrongly) mean "looks like a student."
- Mixing up the two そう. 安いそうだ = "I hear it's cheap"; 安そうだ = "it looks cheap." Watch whether the い/だ is kept (hearsay) or dropped (looks-like).
- Forgetting the source. Hearsay そうだ sounds bare on its own; lead with 〜によると or 〜の話では so the listener knows you're reporting, not asserting.
Quick recap
- Plain clause + そうだ = "I hear / they say that…" (reported information).
- It never conjugates — tense and negation go inside the clause.
- Nouns and な-adjectives take だ before そうだ (学生だそうだ, 元気だそうだ).
- Often paired with 〜によると ("according to"). Polite form: そうです.
- Don't confuse it with looks-like そう (おいしそう), which attaches to a stem and can conjugate.
Your turn
Choose the correct hearsay そうだ form (and tell it apart from looks-like そう).
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N4 〜そうだ (hearsay) drill →
Frequently asked questions
How is hearsay そうだ different from looks-like そう?
Hearsay そうだ means 'I heard that…' and attaches to a full plain form (おいしいそうだ = I hear it's tasty). Looks-like そう means 'it seems' and attaches to a stem (おいしそう = it looks tasty). The first never conjugates; the second behaves like a な-adjective and can.
Do nouns and な-adjectives need だ before そうだ?
Yes, in the hearsay meaning. Nouns and な-adjectives take だ: 学生だそうだ ('I hear they're a student'), 元気だそうだ ('I hear they're well'). Verbs and い-adjectives attach directly.
Can hearsay そうだ be put in the past?
Not そうだ itself — it never conjugates. To report a past fact, put the past tense inside the clause: 雨だったそうだ ('I hear it was raining'), 合格したそうだ ('I hear they passed').
What's the difference between そうだ and らしい?
Both can report hearsay. そうだ is straightforward reporting, usually with a stated source (〜によると). らしい often adds an 'apparently / from what I gather' flavor and can also describe typical behavior. See the comparison of ようだ, らしい, and みたい for details.