Lesson 63: いい においが する

N4 · Lesson 63 · 18 min — Say "looks…", "sounds…", and "I smell/hear…", then compare そう / よう / みたい / らしい side by side

In Lesson 52 you learned 見みえる / 聞きこえる = "can be seen / can be heard." Today the same words get a new job: put 〜く or 〜に before them and they mean "looks…" or "sounds…". You will also learn the very common 〜が する, for smells and sounds you notice. At the end, we line up all the "seems" patterns from recent lessons.

After this lesson, you can:

• Say "looks…": 先生せんせいは わかく 見みえます。(The teacher looks young.)
• Say "sounds…": その 話はなしは うそに 聞きこえます。(That story sounds like a lie.)
• Talk about smells, sounds and tastes you notice: いい においが します。(It smells good.)
• Tell the four "seems" words apart: そう / よう / みたい / らしい

Master's Taste

The JLPT is over and Rin is wiped out. Neko-sensei drags him to くまや for hot ramen... (におい = smell; 師匠ししょう = master)

Looks: 〜く / 〜に 見みえる. Smell or sound you notice: 〜が する. Next lesson: Rin finally reads the line on the envelope!

Words for this lesson: senses and impressions

• におい (nioi): smell (what the nose notices)
• 音おと (oto): sound (made by things)
• 声こえ (koe): voice (of a person or animal)
• 味あじ (aji): taste (what the tongue notices)
• 顔色かおいろ (kaoiro): complexion, color of one's face
• 師匠ししょう (shishō): master (of a craft)
• なつかしい (natsukashii): nostalgic, bringing back memories
• わかい (wakai): young
• 本物ほんもの (honmono): the real thing, genuine
• サンプル (sanpuru): sample; (restaurant window) food model
• うそ (uso): lie
• へん (hen): strange, odd
• かなしい (kanashii): sad

Grammar 1 / 3: に 見みえる

〜く / 〜に＋見みえる・聞きこえる: looks…, sounds… (the impression something gives)

• Meaning: looks… (the impression it gives): 〜に 見みえる describes the impression you get when you look at something. It is often different from the truth. For example, the teacher is actually not young, but 先生せんせいは わかく 見みえます (The teacher looks young).
• How to connect: い→く, な-adj / noun＋に: For い-adjectives, change the final い to く: わかい→わかく 見みえる, おいしい→おいしく 見みえる. For な-adjectives and nouns, just add に: しずかに 見みえる, 本物ほんものに 見みえる, おとなに 見みえる.
• Ear version: 〜に 聞きこえる: For the impression you get from hearing, swap 見みえる for 聞きこえる. The pattern is exactly the same: うそに 聞きこえる (sounds like a lie), かなしく 聞きこえる (sounds sad), へんに 聞きこえる (sounds odd). The impression can also be a mishearing: on the phone, 「ひ」が「し」に 聞きこえる.
• "Can be seen" vs. "looks": In Lesson 52, 見みえる came after が: 本物ほんものが 見みえます = I can see the real thing. Today, 見みえる comes after く / に: 本物ほんものに 見みえます = it looks real. One small change, a totally different meaning!

• 先生せんせいは わかく 見みえます。 — The teacher looks young.
• この サンプルは 本物ほんものに 見みえます。 — (In a restaurant window) This food model looks real.
• リンくん、顔色かおいろが わるく 見みえるよ。 — Rin, you look really pale.
• くまたくんは おとなに 見みえるね。 — Kumata (Rin's friend) looks like a grown-up.
• その 話はなしは うそに 聞きこえます。 — That story sounds like a lie.
• でんわでは「ひ」が「し」に 聞きこえます。 — On the phone, "ひ" sounds like "し". (A mishearing impression)

Grammar 2 / 3: が する

音おと / 声こえ / におい / 味あじ＋が する: I hear a sound, smell a scent, taste a flavor

• Meaning: you sense it without trying: 〜が する does not mean "do" something. It means "you notice it, without trying." You walk into くまや and the smell simply reaches you → いい においが します. In English you would say "It smells good," "I hear a noise," or "I can taste…".
• Four common sense nouns: におい (smell), 音おと (sound made by things: 雨あめ, ドア), 声こえ (voice of a person or animal), 味あじ (taste). English often uses "sound" for both, but Japanese keeps 音おと and 声こえ apart!
• Add a description in front: Usually you say what kind it is: いい においが する (a nice smell), へんな 音おとが する (a strange noise), カレーの においが する (a curry smell), だれかの 声こえが する (someone's voice). Plain においが する / 音おとが する is also common and means "there's a smell / a sound" (often with a feeling that something is unusual).
• Same family as 見みえる / 聞きこえる: All of them are senses that "come to you naturally." You can say both 声こえが する and 声こえが 聞きこえる. But 音おとを 聞ききます means you listen on purpose, which is different.

• いい においが しますね。 — It smells so good.
• 雨あめの 音おとが します。 — I hear rain.
• となりの 部屋へやから だれかの 声こえが します。 — I can hear someone's voice from the next room.
• この ラーメンは なつかしい 味あじが します。 — This ramen has a nostalgic taste.
• キッチンから カレーの においが する。 — I smell curry from the kitchen.
• へんな 音おとが しますよ。 — I hear a strange noise.

Grammar 3 / 3: Four "Seems"

Four "seems" plus に 見みえる: choose by how you know

• そう: by looks, not confirmed: For い-adjectives, drop い and add そう: おいしそう (not eaten yet, it looks tasty). For verbs, use the ます-stem: 雨あめが 降ふりそう (it looks like rain is coming).
• ようだ / みたいだ: judging from clues: You see or smell a clue and decide for yourself. ようだ (ようです) is more formal; みたいだ is casual talk among friends. Nouns connect differently: 休やすみの ようだ / 休やすみ みたいだ.
• らしい: heard from others: When news comes from other people, the internet or the news, らしい is the most common: くまやの ラーメンは 有名ゆうめい らしい. To pass on someone's words directly, you can also use hearsay plain form＋そうだ: おいしい そうだ, 降ふる そうだ (I hear…). Also, らしい is sometimes used for guesses from indirect clues, and casual みたい is sometimes used to pass on news. For now, just remember the big picture.
• に 見みえる: just the way it looks: おいしく 見みえる describes the impression of the outside (for example, a beautifully shot photo), often with a feeling of "maybe not in reality." おいしそう is different: you look and guess "it must be tasty."

• この ラーメン、おいしそう！ — This ramen looks so good!
• だれも いません。店みせは 休やすみの ようです。 — There's nobody there. The shop seems to be closed.
• リンくん、つかれた みたいだね。 — Rin, you seem tired.
• くまやの ラーメンは 有名ゆうめい らしいよ。 — I hear the ramen at くまや is famous.
• 写真しゃしんの ラーメンは おいしく 見みえます。 — The ramen in the photo looks delicious.