“〜sou da” (appearance): It Looks 〜 / About to 〜 (visual conjecture) [JLPT N4]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「美味しそう」「雨が降りそう」 — a snap judgement from how things *look* (attaches to the stem, unlike hearsay そう).
「美味しそう！」 — judging by appearance with 「〜そうだ (appearance)」
You see a slice of cake and blurt out 「美味しそう！」 (looks delicious!) — 「(verb ます-stem／adjective stem) ＋ そうだ (appearance)」 means “looks like ~, about to ~,” a judgment from the appearance or signs before your eyes. This guide focuses on appearance-そうだ's attachment and use, plus the negative 「〜そうもない (looks like it won't)」, and separates it from hearsay-そうだ (same form, different use — see the comparison guide).
Core: judge “looks like ~” from what's before you
「そうだ (appearance)」 = “(by appearance) looks like ~, about to ~,” judged from what you see:
- Appearance judgment: このケーキ、美味しそう (this cake looks tasty).
- About to happen: 空が暗い、雨が降りそう (sky's dark, about to rain).
Attachment: verb ます-stem ＋ そう (降り→降りそう), adjective drop い／な ＋ そう (美味しい→美味しそう, 元気→元気そう).
How to Connect
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | ます-stem ＋ そう | 降りそう |
| i-adjective | drop い ＋ そう | 美味しそう |
| na-adjective | stem ＋ そう | 元気そう |
| exceptions | いい→よさそう, ない→なさそう | よさそう |
Examples in context
- このケーキ、すごく美味しそう！(This cake looks super tasty!) — appearance
- 空が暗い。雨が降りそうだ。(The sky's dark. It's about to rain.) — about to
- 彼は元気そうですね。(He looks well, doesn't he?) — na-adjective
- この問題は難しそうだ。(This problem looks hard.) — i-adjective
- 電車が来そうもない。(The train looks like it won't come.) — negative (そうもない)
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① Appearance attaches to “ます-stem／adjective stem” — don't confuse with hearsay. Appearance = 降りそう (ます-stem, looks about to fall); hearsay = 降るそう (dictionary, I hear it'll fall). Different attachment, different meaning (looks like vs I hear). The key distinction (see the 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide).
② 「いい」「ない」take special forms. いい→よさそう (✗ いそう), ない→なさそう. These two stems change — fixed exceptions.
③ The negative is 「〜そうもない／〜そうにない」. For “looks like it won't” — 雨が降りそうもない (looks like it won't rain), 来そうにない (looks like it won't come). Not 「〜なそう」 (colloquial exists, but formal/exams use そうもない).
🔄 How it differs: appearance-そうだ vs hearsay-そうだ
| Form | Nuance／attachment | Example |
|---|---|---|
| そうだ (appearance) | looks like ~ (ます-stem／stem) | 降りそう |
| そうだ (hearsay) | I hear ~ (plain form) | 降るそう |
| ようだ | overall judgment, seems | 降るようだ |
💡 Learning tip
「様態そうだ (appearance)」 is your on-the-spot judgment from what you see — 「美味しそう！ (looks tasty)」, 「雨が降りそう (about to rain)」 — super everyday and useful. Attachment: verbs use the ます-stem (降り→降りそう), adjectives the stem (美味しい→美味しそう). Two fixed exceptions: いい→よさそう, ない→なさそう. The negative is 「〜そうもない」 (looks like it won't). Same form as hearsay-そうだ, told apart by attachment (appearance → stem, hearsay → plain form); details in the 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide. See something tasty and call out 「美味しそう」 — most native!
❓ Common questions
Q: 「美味しそう」 vs 「美味しいそう」?
One 「い」 apart, totally different! 「美味しそう」 (drop い ＋ そう) = appearance, looks tasty (you judge, looking at the cake); 「美味しいそう」 (dictionary ＋ そう) = hearsay, I hear it's tasty (someone told you). Appearance attaches to the stem (drop い); hearsay to the plain form (keep い). So say 「美味しそう (looks tasty)」 seeing food; 「美味しいそう (I hear it's tasty)」 relaying someone. One 「い」 — one is seeing, the other is hearing.
Q: How do I say the negative of appearance-そうだ?
Use 「〜そうもない」 or 「〜そうにない」 for “looks like it won't, unlikely to”: 雨が降りそうもない (looks like it won't rain), 彼は来そうにない (he looks like he won't come), 間に合いそうにない (looks like I won't make it). Note it's not a simple 「〜なそう」 (colloquial 「降らなそう」 exists, but formal/exams prefer 「そうもない／そうにない」). Remember “そうもない = looks hopeless.”
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「空が暗い。雨が降り___。」 (appearance: it looks about to rain)
(A) そうだ (B) らしい (C) ようだ (D) そうだ（伝聞）
Q2. 「このケーキ、___！食べたい！」 (looks delicious)
(A) 美味しいそうだ (B) 美味しそうだ (C) 美味しらしい (D) 美味しようだ
Q3. 「友達から聞いたんだけど、彼は来ない___よ。」 (hearsay: I heard he isn't coming)
(A) 来なそうだ (B) 来なさそうだ (C) 来ないそうだ (D) 来るそうだ
Q4. 「この映画、面白___。見てみよう。」 (inferring from appearance: looks interesting)
(A) い (B) そうだ (C) らしい (D) ようだ
Q5. 「急いでいるのに、電車がなかなか来___。」 (the train looks like it won't come — negative appearance)
(A) そうもない (B) そうだ (C) らしい (D) ようだ
Answer Explanations
1. (A) そうだ ── appearance そうだ: looking at the dark sky before you, a visual judgment that "it's about to rain". Attachment: 降る→降り (ます-stem, drop ます) + そうだ.
2. (B) 美味しそうだ ── appearance: an い-adjective + そうだ = drop い + そうだ (美味し + そうだ). (A) 美味しいそうだ is hearsay (I hear it's delicious).
3. (C) 来ないそうだ ── hearsay そうだ: 「友達から聞いた (heard from a friend)」 → plain form + そうだ (来ない + そうだ).
4. (B) そうだ ── appearance: 「見てみよう (let me try watching it)」 implies a judgment based on appearance, 面白い→面白そうだ (drop い).
5. (A) そうもない ── emphatic negative appearance: the train looks like it's completely not coming (strong negation) → そうもない. 来る→来そうもない.