It Looks Like... Expressing Appearance (～そうです)

The grammar pattern ～そうです (sou desu) is used in Japanese to express that something "looks like" or "appears to be" a certain way, based on visual observation or other sensory perception. It conveys your impression based on evidence you can see or feel. This is different from hearsay (伝聞), where ～そうです means "I heard that..." We're focusing on appearance here.

How to Form

Attach ～そうです (sou desu) to the stem of an i-adjective or the masu-stem of a verb. Remember to drop the い (i) from the end of an i-adjective. For verbs, remove the ます (masu) form to find the stem.

Type	Example Word	Stem	+ そうです	Romaji	English Translation
i-adjective	おいしい (delicious)	おいし	おいしそうです	oishisou desu	It looks delicious.
i-adjective	寒い (cold)	寒	寒そうです	samusou desu	It looks cold.
verb	降る (to fall, e.g. rain)	降り	降りそうです	furisou desu	It looks like it will rain.
verb	忙しい (to be busy)	忙し	忙しそうです	isogashisou desu	It looks like they are busy.
na-adjective	きれい (pretty)	きれい	きれいそうです*	kireisou desu*	It looks pretty.*

*Note: For many na-adjectives, using ～そうです sounds unnatural. Instead, use ～に見えます (ni miemasu) or ～のようです (no you desu). We'll cover ～に見えます in more detail below.

Usage Examples

With i-adjectives

• このケーキはおいしそうです。 Kono keeki wa oishisou desu. This cake looks delicious.

• あの山は高そうです。 Ano yama wa takasou desu. That mountain looks high.

• このスープは熱そうですから、気をつけてください。 Kono suupu wa atsusou desu kara, ki wo tsukete kudasai. This soup looks hot, so please be careful.

With verbs

• 今にも雨が降りそうです。 Imanimo ame ga furisou desu. It looks like it will rain any minute now. (Imanimo = at any moment)

• 彼は何かを言いたそうです。 Kare wa nanika wo iitasou desu. It looks like he wants to say something.

• 猫は眠そうです。 Neko wa nemusou desu. The cat looks sleepy.

With negative form

To say "it doesn't look...", you have a few options. ～そうにありません (sou ni arimasen) is very formal. ～そうもない (sou mo nai) is more casual than sou ni arimasen. Often, ～そうじゃない (sou ja nai) or ～そうにない (sou ni nai) are more commonly used in casual conversation.

• この肉は新鮮そうにありません。 (Formal) Kono niku wa shinsen sou ni arimasen. This meat doesn't look fresh.

• この肉は新鮮そうじゃないです。 (Less Formal) Kono niku wa shinsen sou ja nai desu. This meat doesn't look fresh.

• この問題は簡単そうもない。 Kono mondai wa kantan sou mo nai. This problem doesn't look easy.

• 彼は来るそうにない。 Kare wa kuru sou ni nai. It doesn't look like he's coming.

～に見えます (ni miemasu) for na-adjectives and Nouns.

As noted earlier, using ～そうです with na-adjectives often sounds unnatural. The more appropriate construction is ～に見えます (ni miemasu), which means "it looks like" or "it appears to be." You can also use it with nouns.

• Formation: Noun/Na-Adjective + に見えます

• Examples:

  • 彼女は学生に見えます。

    • Kanojo wa gakusei ni miemasu.
    • She looks like a student.

  • この部屋はきれいに見えます。

    • Kono heya wa kirei ni miemasu.
    • This room looks clean/pretty.

  • 彼は元気に見えます。

    • Kare wa genki ni miemasu.
    • He looks healthy/energetic.

You can also use ～のようです (no you desu) to describe appearance.

More nuanced usages and common mistakes.

• Expressing "seems easy to do": You can use ～そう with verbs to indicate something "seems easy to do." This implies a judgment about the ease of the action based on its appearance.

  • この本は読みやすそうです。

    • Kono hon wa yomiyasusasou desu.
    • This book looks easy to read. (yomiyasui = easy to read. yomiyasui + sou desu. Drop the い from the i-adj.)

  • この料理は作りやすそうです。

    • Kono ryouri wa tsukuriyasusasou desu.
    • This dish looks easy to make. (tsukuriyasui = easy to make. tsukuriyasui + sou desu. Drop the い from the i-adj.)

• Don't confuse with 伝聞 (denbun - hearsay): As mentioned at the beginning, ～そうです also means "I heard that..." when attached to the plain form of a verb, i-adjective, or na-adjective + だ.

  • 明日、雨が降るそうです。 (伝聞)

    • Ashita, ame ga furu sou desu.
    • I heard that it will rain tomorrow.

  • 雨が降りそうです。 (Appearance)

    • Ame ga furisou desu.
    • It looks like it will rain.

  Context is crucial in distinguishing between the two meanings.

• Using ～そう in questions: You can use ～そうです in questions to confirm your perception.

  • 寒そうですか？

    • Samusou desu ka?
    • Does it look cold? / Do I look cold?

  • おいしそうですか？

    • Oishisou desu ka?
    • Does it look delicious?

Notes

• Do not use ～そうです with nouns directly. Use ～に見えます or ～のようです instead.
• Be careful: ～そうです can also mean "I heard that..." when attached to the plain form of verbs/adjectives (伝聞). This lesson focuses on the "appearance" meaning.
• Using ～そうです expresses your subjective impression. Someone else might have a different impression.

Practice

Try making your own sentences using ～そうです!

Translate: It looks difficult.

難しそうです。 (Muzukashisou desu.)

Translate: It looks like he's having fun.

彼は楽しそうです。 (Kare wa tanoshisou desu.)

Translate: That building looks old.

あの建物は古そうです。 (Ano tatemono wa furusou desu.)

Translate: This coffee doesn't look very good.

このコーヒーはあまり美味しそうじゃないです。 (Kono koohii wa amari oishisou ja nai desu.)

Translate: He looks like a doctor.

彼はお医者さんに見えます。(Kare wa oishasan ni miemasu.)

Describe the image: [Imagine an image of a tired-looking person]

疲れてそうです。(Tsukarete sou desu.) / 疲れているように見えます。 (Tsukareteiru you ni miemasu.)

Using the verb "できあがる(dekiagaru)" means to be completed or finished, translate: It looks like the food is almost finished.

料理はもうすぐできあがりそうです。(Ryouri wa mousugu dekiagarisou desu.)