〜そう (Appearance): How to Say Something 'Looks…' or 'Is About To…'
What it means
This 〜そう is the appearance (様態) meaning: you're judging how something looks, feels, or is about to happen based on what you can see or sense. With adjectives it's "looks ___"; with verbs it's "looks like it's about to ___." It lets you comment on a cake before tasting it, or warn that something is on the verge of happening.
It's a guess from visible signs — not something you were told. (That's the lookalike hearsay 〜そうだ, covered below.)
このケーキ、おいしそう！
この ケーキ、おいしそう！
This cake looks tasty!
い-adjective: drop い, add そう.
先生は元気そうですね。
せんせいは げんきそうですね。
The teacher looks well, doesn't she?
な-adjective: stem + そう.
今にも雨が降りそうです。
いまにも あめが ふりそうです。
It looks like it's about to rain any moment.
Verb ます-stem (降り) + そう = on the verge.
How to form it
| Word type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | drop い + そう | おいしい → おいしそう (looks tasty) |
| い-adjective | drop い + そう | 高い → 高そう (looks expensive) |
| な-adjective | stem + そう | 元気 → 元気そう (looks well) |
| な-adjective | stem + そう | 静か → 静かそう (seems quiet) |
| Verb | ます-stem + そう | 降ります → 降りそう (about to fall/rain) |
| Verb | ます-stem + そう | 落ちます → 落ちそう (about to fall) |
| いい (irregular) | → よさそう | よさそう (looks good) |
| ない (irregular) | → なさそう | なさそう (looks like there's none) |
The whole 〜そう block then behaves like a な-adjective: add です to be polite, な before a noun, and に before a verb (see below).
Adjectives: "it looks…"
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, doesn't it?
ヤッタンの弟は元気そうだ。
ヤッタンの おとうとは げんきそうだ。
Yattan's little brother looks full of energy.
この問題は難しそうだ。
この もんだいは むずかしそうだ。
This problem looks difficult.
Verbs: "about to / on the verge"
With a verb stem, 〜そう means something is on the point of happening — you can see it's about to occur:
コップが落ちそうだよ！
コップが おちそうだよ！
The cup is about to fall!
ヤッタンは今にも泣きそうだった。
ヤッタンは いまにも なきそうだった。
Yattan looked like he was about to cry.
今にも ('any moment now') pairs naturally with verb + そう.
Adverb 〜そうに and adnominal 〜そうな
Because 〜そう acts like a な-adjective, use そうに before a verb (to describe how an action looks) and そうな before a noun:
モチはうれしそうに笑った。
モチは うれしそうに わらった。
Mochi smiled happily (looking happy).
そうに modifies the verb 笑った.
おいしそうなケーキを買った。
おいしそうな ケーキを かった。
I bought a tasty-looking cake.
そうな modifies the noun ケーキ.
The irregulars: いい and ない
Two words don't follow the plain "drop い" rule — they insert さ:
- いい ("good") → よさそう (not いそう). 「この店、よさそう。」 = "This shop looks good."
- ない ("not exist / not so") → なさそう (not なそう). 「お金がなさそう。」 = "It looks like there's no money."
Saying "doesn't look…" (negative)
There are two negative patterns, and they mean slightly different things:
- For an adjective, negate the adjective, then it becomes 〜なさそう: おいしくない → おいしくなさそう ("doesn't look tasty"); 元気じゃない → 元気じゃなさそう ("doesn't look well").
- For a verb "doesn't look like it'll happen," use 〜そうにない (or 〜そうもない): 降りそうにない ("doesn't look like it'll rain"); 終わりそうにない ("doesn't look like it'll finish").
今日は雨が降りそうにない。
きょうは あめが ふりそうにない。
It doesn't look like it'll rain today.
Verb + そうにない = negative of 'about to.'
この料理はあまりおいしくなさそうだ。
この りょうりは あまり おいしくなさそうだ。
This dish doesn't look very tasty.
い-adjective negative + なさそう.
Appearance 〜そう vs hearsay 〜そうだ (don't mix these up)
This is the trap. The same そう has a completely different meaning depending on what it attaches to:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance (様態) | how it looks / about to happen — attaches to the STEM | 雨が降りそうだ = It looks like it'll rain |
| Hearsay (伝聞) | I hear that… — attaches to the PLAIN form | 雨が降るそうだ = I hear it's going to rain |
The clue is the attachment: appearance そう grabs the stem (降りそう), while hearsay そう grabs the full plain form (降るそう). With adjectives, appearance drops the い (高そう = "looks pricey") but hearsay keeps it (高いそう = "I hear it's pricey"). For other ways to report what you heard or guessed, compare 〜かもしれない and the 〜ようだ vs 〜らしい vs 〜みたい overview.
Common mistakes
- Keeping い on い-adjectives. It's おいしそう, not おいしいそう. (おいしいそう would be hearsay — "I hear it's tasty.")
- Saying いそう or なそう. Use the irregulars: いい → よさそう, ない → なさそう.
- Using the dictionary form of a verb. "About to rain" is 降りそう (stem), not 降るそう (which is hearsay, "I hear it'll rain").
- Using そう for plain appearance you can clearly see. 〜そう is a guess from signs. For something obvious and certain ("she is happy"), just say うれしい — そう adds the "seems/looks" hedge.
Quick recap
- い-adj: drop い + そう (高そう). な-adj: stem + そう (元気そう).
- Verb ます-stem + そう = about to / on the verge (落ちそう).
- The block acts like a な-adjective: そうに + verb, そうな + noun.
- Irregulars: いい → よさそう, ない → なさそう; negatives 〜なさそう / verb 〜そうにない.
- Appearance attaches to the stem; hearsay 〜そうだ attaches to the plain form — keep them apart.
Your turn
Choose the correct 〜そう (appearance) form, or tell it apart from hearsay そうだ.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N4 〜そう (appearance) drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between おいしそう and おいしいそう?
おいしそう (drop い) means 'it looks tasty' — your guess from seeing it. おいしいそう (keep い) is hearsay: 'I hear it's tasty.' The dropped い signals appearance; the full form signals reported information.
How do I say いい and ない with そう?
They're irregular and add さ: いい → よさそう ('looks good'), ない → なさそう ('looks like there's none'). Never いそう or なそう.
How do I make it negative?
For adjectives, negate first then add なさそう: おいしくなさそう ('doesn't look tasty'). For verbs meaning 'doesn't look like it'll happen,' use 〜そうにない: 降りそうにない ('doesn't look like it'll rain').
When do I use そうに vs そうな?
〜そう acts like a な-adjective. Use そうに before a verb (うれしそうに笑う = 'smile happily') and そうな before a noun (おいしそうなケーキ = 'tasty-looking cake').