Look at these two sentences:
A. 田中さんは来月転勤するそうだ。 B. このラーメンは美味しそうだ。
Both use そうだ, but the meanings are completely different: A means "I heard that Tanaka is transferring next month," while B means "This ramen looks delicious."
The difference lies in how they conjugate.
そうだ (Hearsay) — What Your Ears Heard
Attach そうだ to a complete sentence in its plain form = "I heard that..."
| Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb dictionary form + そうだ | 転勤するそうだ |
| い-adj plain form + そうだ | 高いそうだ |
| な-adj + だ + そうだ | 元気だそうだ |
-
田中さんは来月転勤するそうだ。 → I heard that Tanaka is transferring next month.
-
あの店は美味しいそうだ。 → I heard that restaurant is good.
Hearsay そうだ = the information came from someone else; I haven't confirmed it myself.
そうだ (Appearance) — What Your Eyes See
Attach そうだ to the stem of a verb or adjective = "it looks like..."
| Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|
| Verb ます-stem (drop ます) + そうだ | 降りそうだ |
| い-adj (drop い) + そうだ | 美味しそうだ |
| な-adj stem + そうだ | 元気そうだ |
-
このラーメンは美味しそうだ。 → This ramen looks delicious. (Haven't tasted it yet — judging by appearance)
-
電信柱が倒れそうだ。 → That utility pole looks like it's about to fall over. (It appears to be wobbling)
-
来週から忙しくなりそうだ。 → It looks like things will get busy starting next week. (Judging from the current situation)
Appearance そうだ = I'm judging based on what I see or sense.
Special use of Appearance: Predicting the near future
Appearance そうだ can also express "about to..." — a prediction about the near future:
- 雨が降りそうだ。 → It looks like it's about to rain.
- 電池がなくなりそうだ。 → The battery is about to die.
Hearsay vs Appearance: Instant Identification
| Hearsay | Appearance | |
|---|---|---|
| Sense | Ears (heard from someone) | Eyes (judged by yourself) |
| Conjugation | Full plain form + そうだ | Stem + そうだ |
| Example | 美味しいそうだ | 美味しそうだ |
| Translation | I heard it's delicious | It looks delicious |
The quickest way to tell: Look at the conjugation. If the full い/だ is present = hearsay. If い/だ is dropped = appearance.
らしい — Inference Based on Evidence
らしい is similar to hearsay そうだ, but adds a layer of inference/uncertainty.
-
彼は風邪を引いたらしい。 → He seems to have caught a cold. (I'm inferring from his symptoms)
-
あの店は閉店するらしい。 → That shop seems to be closing down. (I've heard some things, but I'm not sure)
| Hearsay そうだ | らしい | |
|---|---|---|
| Certainty | Relatively certain (clear source) | Less certain (some signs/clues) |
| Nuance | "I heard that..." | "It seems like..." |
Self-Test
Q1. 「この映画は面白い＿＿。」(I heard this movie is interesting)
A. そうだ B. らしい
Show answer
A. そうだ. The full plain form 「面白い」 directly followed by そうだ = hearsay. (B is also possible, but the nuance shifts to "it seems" rather than a clear "I heard that")
Q2. 「この映画は面白＿＿。」(This movie looks interesting)
Show answer
Drop い and attach そうだ → 面白そうだ. Appearance = your own impression/judgment.
Q3. Is 「電池がなくなりそうだ。」 hearsay or appearance?
Show answer
Appearance. It uses the verb stem (なくなり + そうだ), meaning "it looks like the battery is about to die."
Summary
- そうだ has two types: hearsay (ears) and appearance (eyes)
- How to tell: Full plain form + そうだ = hearsay; stem + そうだ = appearance
- Appearance can also express "about to..." (predicting the near future)
- らしい = inference based on evidence, with less certainty than hearsay そうだ