“〜sou”: Appearance-そう vs Hearsay-そう — “Looks Like” and “I Hear” Are Totally Different (N4-N3) [JLPT N4]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
“おいしそう！” vs “おいしいそう” — one kanji's difference, completely different meaning!
「おいしそうな料理」「おいしそうに食べる」 — appearance 「〜そう」 inflects, hearsay doesn't
「おいしそう」 (looks tasty) can inflect further: 「おいしそうな料理」 (a tasty-looking dish), 「おいしそうに食べる」 (eat with relish) — appearance 「〜そう」 behaves like a na-adjective, taking a noun (そうな) or a verb (そうに); but hearsay 「〜そう」 (I hear) can't inflect at all. This is another key to telling the two apart. This guide focuses on 「そう」's attachment and inflection and the real-world appearance-vs-hearsay test (the full two-use summary has its own 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide).
Core: appearance-そう inflects, hearsay-そう doesn't
Beyond attachment, 「そう」's two uses differ in whether they can inflect:
- Appearance-そう (looks like) = attaches to the stem, and inflects like a na-adjective: おいしそう→おいしそうな (＋ noun)→おいしそうに (＋ verb).
- Hearsay-そう (I hear) = attaches to the plain form, no inflection: おいしいそう (I hear it's tasty) — can't be 「おいしいそうな」「おいしいそうに」.
Rule of thumb: inflects (そうな／そうに) = appearance; doesn't = hearsay.
Attachment & inflection compared
| Use | Attaches to | Can inflect? |
|---|---|---|
| appearance-そう (looks like) | ます-stem／adjective stem | Yes: 〜そうな ＋ N, 〜そうに ＋ V |
| hearsay-そう (I hear) | plain form | No (fixed 〜そうだ) |
| key difference | stem vs plain form | inflects vs doesn't |
例句與情境
- このケーキ、おいしそう！食べたい。(This cake looks tasty! I want some.) — appearance
- おいしそうなケーキですね。(A tasty-looking cake, isn't it?) — appearance ＋ noun (そうな)
- 子供がおいしそうに食べている。(The kid is eating with relish.) — appearance ＋ verb (そうに)
- あのレストランはおいしいそうだ。(I hear that restaurant is good.) — hearsay (no inflection)
- 空が暗い。雨が降りそう。(The sky's dark. It looks about to rain.) — appearance (verb)
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① Appearance-そう inflects to 「そうな ＋ noun」「そうに ＋ verb」. おいしそうな料理 (a tasty-looking dish), 楽しそうに笑う (laugh happily). This inflection is unique to appearance; hearsay can't do it.
② Hearsay-そう is fixed, no inflection. 「おいしいそうだ (I hear it's tasty)」 can't become 「おいしいそうな」「おいしいそうに」. Hearsay-そう always ends in 「〜そうだ／そうです」.
③ Attachment is still the core distinction. Appearance attaches to the stem (おいし／降り), hearsay to the plain form (おいしい／降る). Add the “can it inflect?” clue and the two are easier to tell apart (full summary in the 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide).
🔄 Compare: the three forms of appearance-そう
| Form | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜そう（だ） | sentence-final (looks like ~) | おいしそう（だ） |
| 〜そうな ＋ noun | modifies a noun | おいしそうな料理 |
| 〜そうに ＋ verb | modifies a verb (adverbial) | おいしそうに食べる （eats it with evident relish） |
💡 An exam judgment tip
To tell appearance-そう from hearsay-そう, beyond “attaches to stem vs plain form,” there's a super-handy clue: “can it inflect?” Appearance-そう is like a na-adjective — it becomes 「そうな ＋ noun」 (おいしそうな料理), 「そうに ＋ verb」 (おいしそうに食べる); hearsay-そう can't inflect at all, always 「〜そうだ」. So if you see 「そうな」「そうに」, it's definitely appearance (looks like). This inflection is very useful — 「楽しそうに (happily)」, 「難しそうな (hard-looking)」, 「眠そうに (sleepily)」 make your descriptions vivid. For the full attachment summary and negatives of both uses, see the 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide.
❓ Quick FAQ
Q: What are 「おいしそうな」「おいしそうに」? Can hearsay do this?
These are appearance-そう inflecting (like a na-adjective): 「〜そうな ＋ noun」 modifies a noun (おいしそうな料理 = a tasty-looking dish), 「〜そうに ＋ verb」 is adverbial (おいしそうに食べる = eat with relish). Hearsay-そう can't do this at all — there's no 「おいしいそうな」「おいしいそうに」. So 「そうな／そうに」 is appearance's alone; see it and you know it's “looks like.”
Q: How do I quickly tell appearance-そう from hearsay-そう?
Two clues: ① attachment — appearance to the stem (おいし／降り, short), hearsay to the plain form (おいしい／降る, full); ② inflection — appearance can become そうな／そうに (inflects), hearsay can't (always そうだ). See 「そうな料理」「そうに笑う」 = definitely appearance; a source like 「によると」 ＋ a full plain form = hearsay. Use both clues together and you'll almost never miss. For detailed attachment rules, exceptions (よさそう), and negatives, see the 〈そうだ two-use〉 guide.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「このケーキ、___！食べてみよう。」(This cake looks delicious! — appearance-based judgment)
(A) おいしいそう (B) おいしそう (C) おいしさそう (D) おいしくそう
Q2. 「あのレストランは___ですよ。友達が言っていた。」(I heard that restaurant is famous — a friend told me; hearsay)
(A) 有名そう (B) 有名だそう (C) 有名なそう (D) 有名でそう
Q3. 「空が暗い。___。」(The sky is dark; it looks like it's about to rain — appearance)
(A) 降るそう (B) 降りそう (C) 降ったそう (D) 降るんそう
Q4. 「試験は難しかった___です。」(I heard the exam was hard — hearsay)
(A) そう (B) でそう (C) だそう (D) さそう
Q5. 「いい天気だ」の様態そうへの変換は？
(A) いいそう (B) よさそう (C) よいそう (D) よくそう
Answer Explanations
1. (B) おいしそう ── The appearance-based そう = a sensory judgment made from what you see or hear yourself. 「おいしい」→ drop い → 「おいし」+ そう = 「おいしそう」. おいしいそう (A) is hearsay 'I heard it's delicious,' a different meaning.
2. (B) 有名だそう ── 「友達が言っていた」(a friend told me) = hearsay → hearsay そう. A na-adjective takes だ before hearsay そう: 有名だそう. (A) 有名そう is appearance-based ('looks famous'), a different meaning; (C)(D) use incorrect connections.
3. (B) 降りそう ── The verb connection for appearance-based そう = verb ます-stem + そう. 降る → 降り (ます-stem) + そう = 「降りそう」(looks about to rain). 降るそう (A) is hearsay 'I heard it's going to rain,' a different nuance.
4. (A) そう ── 「難しかった」(i-adjective past) + そう = hearsay → 「難しかったそうです」(I heard the exam was hard). After i-adjectives and verbs in the past, そう attaches directly; (C) だそう is for nouns and na-adjectives (✗難しかっただそう).
5. (B) よさそう ── 「いい」is an irregular i-adjective; its appearance-based そう = よさそう (not いそう!). This is an exception you must memorize.