Japanese draws very fine distinctions between "looks like / seems like / I think." For the same observation, different expressions convey completely different information sources and levels of certainty.
The Two Faces of そうだ
そうだ has two entirely different uses, with different conjugation patterns:
1. Appearance (It looks like...)
An objective judgment based on visual information — you can tell just by looking:
| Conjugation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Adj. stem + そうだ | この荷物は重そうだ。 | This luggage looks heavy. |
| Verb conjunctive form + そうだ | 雨が降りそうだ。 | It looks like it's going to rain. |
Appearance そうだ is a judgment based on what your eyes see — "I can tell at a glance."
Special: そうにない = looks impossible
忙しくてできそうにない。 I'm too busy — it looks like I can't do it.
2. Hearsay (I heard that...)
Quoting someone else's words or an information source:
| Conjugation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Plain form + そうだ | 気象庁によると、台風が来るそうだ。 | According to the Meteorological Agency, a typhoon is coming. |
Hearsay そうだ sources its information from others — "that's what I heard."
How to Tell Them Apart
| Appearance | Hearsay | |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugation | Stem / conjunctive form + そうだ | Plain form + そうだ |
| Information source | Your own eyes | Someone else's words |
| Meaning | It looks like... | I heard that... |
ようだ: Subjective Inference
Based on intuition or indirect evidence — "I have a feeling it might be":
彼は怒っているようだ。 He seems to be angry. (My gut feeling)
The difference between ようだ and appearance そうだ:
| そうだ (appearance) | ようだ |
|---|---|
| Judging directly from appearance | Inferring from intuition/indirect evidence |
| Looks heavy (obvious at a glance) | Seems heavy (not necessarily visible) |
と思う vs と思っている
| Expression | Meaning | Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| 〜と思う | I think ... right now | First person only |
| 〜と思っている | Have been thinking ... | First or third person |
Third-person thoughts must use と思っている:
| ✗ Incorrect | ○ Correct |
|---|---|
| 彼は自分が偉いと思う | 彼は自分が偉いと思っている |
Reason: と思う represents "what's in my head right now" — you can't directly know what someone else is thinking at this moment. と思っている, on the other hand, describes "a thought they've been holding," which is observable from the outside.
にする: Deciding / Treating as
にする means "decide on / treat as":
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ボランティアとして働くことを義務としなければならない。 | We must treat volunteer work as an obligation. |
| 私はお酒を飲んだつもりで一万円の寄付をした。 | As if I'd spent the money drinking, I donated 10,000 yen instead. |
にしている = Making it a habit
疲れた時は音楽を聴いてリラックスすることにしています。 When I'm tired, I make it a habit to listen to music and relax.
ことにしている = personal decision + maintained over time = a habit.
によると: Citing Sources
When you want to say "according to...":
| Expression | Usage |
|---|---|
| 〜によると | According to a source (person/organization), followed by そうだ |
| 〜では | According to a content-bearing source (book/report) |
気象庁によると、台風が来るそうだ。 According to the Meteorological Agency, a typhoon is coming.
Note: によると is typically followed by そうだ (hearsay) — it cannot be followed by ようだ.
について vs に関して
Thinking verbs (思う, 考える) pair only with について, not に関して:
| ✗ Incorrect | ○ Correct |
|---|---|
| 人生に関して考える | 人生について考える |
最近人生について考えることが多い。 I've been thinking about life a lot lately.
Master Table
| Expression | Information source | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| そうだ (appearance) | Your own eyes | Relatively high |
| そうだ (hearsay) | Someone else's words | Depends on the source |
| ようだ | Intuition / indirect evidence | Medium |
| と思う | Your own thoughts | Subjective |
| にする | Your own decision | Definite |
Summary
- Appearance そうだ (looks like): judging by appearance; attaches to the stem
- Hearsay そうだ (I heard): quoting others; attaches to the plain form
- ようだ (seems like): inferring from intuition
- と思う is first person only; use と思っている for the third person
- について pairs with thinking verbs; don't use に関して
Self-Test
Q1. What's the difference between 「この荷物は重そうだ」 and 「この荷物は重いようだ」?
Show answer
- 重そうだ → You can tell it's heavy just by looking (appearance judgment) — the size/shape of the luggage makes it obvious
- 重いようだ → It seems heavy (subjective inference) — maybe you noticed someone else struggling with it, or you gave it a little lift
そうだ is more direct (based on sight); ようだ is more indirect (based on inference).
Q2. Is 「彼は怒っていると思う」 correct?
Show answer
Yes. The subject here is "I" — "I think he's angry." と思う is restricted to the first person as the speaker, and the speaker here is indeed "I," so it's fine. If you wanted to say "he thinks he's great," you would need to use と思っている.
Q3. Should 「気象庁によると台風が来る＿＿」 be filled with そうだ or ようだ?
Show answer
そうだ (hearsay). によると introduces an information source, and it's always followed by hearsay そうだ, meaning "according to the Meteorological Agency." ようだ cannot be used here.