～そうです (appearance)
It looks or seems likely based on what you see
You'll be able to describe an appearance or predict an event from visible signs.
荷物が棚から落ちそうです。
nimotsu ga tana kara ochisou desu.
What do you think this sentence means?
The luggage looks like it is about to fall from the shelf.
Judge from signs you can observe
Use ～そうです when what you observe suggests a quality or a likely event. Dark clouds can prompt 雨が降りそうです even before the first drops fall.
With an adjective, you judge a quality without directly confirming it: a cake looks delicious before you taste it. With a verb, you judge that an event seems likely, often that it is about to happen. ～そうです is the polite ending.
このケーキはおいしそうです。
kono keeki wa oishisou desu.
This cake looks delicious.
コップが落ちそうです。
koppu ga ochisou desu.
The glass looks like it is about to fall.
Attach そう to an adjective stem
For an い-adjective, remove the final い: おいしい → おいしそう. For a な-adjective, attach そう to the stem without な or だ: 元気 → 元気そう.
This pattern expresses an impression. Do not attach it directly to a noun to say someone “looks like a student”; that requires a different pattern, such as ～のようだ.
このケーキはおいしそうです。
kono keeki wa oishisou desu.
This cake looks delicious.
おじいちゃんは元気そうです。
ojiichan wa genkisou desu.
Grandpa looks well.
この荷物は重そうです。
kono nimotsu wa omosou desu.
This luggage looks heavy.
Attach そう to a verb’s ます-stem
Start from the polite ます form and remove ます: 降ります → 降りそう; 落ちます → 落ちそう. Use present signs to judge what is likely to happen. An event that is already happening normally needs a direct description instead.
雨が降りそうです。
ame ga furisou desu.
It looks like it is going to rain.
コップが落ちそうです。
koppu ga ochisou desu.
The glass looks like it is about to fall.
芽衣は泣きそうです。
mei wa nakisou desu.
Mei looks like she is about to cry.
Handle いい and negative impressions
いい becomes よさそう. The adjective ない becomes なさそう, including adjective negatives such as おいしくない → おいしくなさそう.
For a verb that seems unlikely to happen, use the ます-stem + そうにない. Its polite form is そうにありません. This gives 降りそうにありません, “does not look likely to rain.”
このかばんはよさそうです。
kono kaban wa yosasou desu.
This bag looks good.
このりんごはおいしくなさそうです。
kono ringo wa oishikunasasou desu.
This apple does not look tasty.
雨は降りそうにありません。
ame wa furisou ni arimasen.
It does not look likely to rain.
Use そうな before a noun and そうに before an action
A phrase ending in this appearance そう behaves like a な-adjective. Use そうな to describe a noun and そうに to describe how someone acts.
おいしそうなケーキです。
oishisou na keeki desu.
It is a delicious-looking cake.
芽衣は楽しそうに笑っています。
mei wa tanoshisou ni waratte imasu.
Mei is laughing happily.
Appearance versus a report
The attachment tells you which そう is being used. Appearance uses a stem; hearsay keeps the complete plain form. The next topic teaches hearsay in detail.
降りそうです
雨が降りそうです。
ame ga furisou desu.
It looks like it is going to rain.
The speaker sees signs, such as dark clouds, that rain is likely.
降るそうです
雨が降るそうです。
ame ga furu sou desu.
I hear it is going to rain.
The speaker passes on information, such as a forecast. The dictionary form 降る stays intact.
駅前の新しいラーメン屋、おいしそうですね。
ekimae no atarashii raamen'ya, oishisou desu ne.
The new ramen shop by the station looks good, doesn't it?
風が強くて、木が倒れそうです。
kaze ga tsuyokute, ki ga taoresou desu.
The wind is so strong that the tree looks like it's about to fall over.
田中さん、今日は忙しそうですね。
tanaka-san, kyou wa isogashisou desu ne.
Tanaka-san, you look busy today.
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.