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Vague Expressions ⑧: How to Use 「〜はずです」
26/04/2026
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Vague Expressions ⑦: How to Use 「〜そうです」 (Appearance and Hearsay)
Kotoba Drill Editor
Today's theme
「〜そうです」 is a very useful vague expression. But it actually has two different meanings.
- 「様態（ようたい）」 （ようたい /joːtai/, appearance-based inference） 「そうです」: you guess from how something looks. 「おいしそうです」 (It looks delicious.)
- 「伝聞（でんぶん）」 （でんぶん /de̞mbɯɴ/, hearsay） 「そうです」: you pass on something you heard from someone else. 「おいしいそうです」 (I hear it is delicious.)
Even though both use the same 「そうです」, the meanings are completely different. The connection pattern changes only a little, so learners often find them confusing.
Today, we learn the difference between the two kinds of 「そうです」 and how to choose the right one through examples.
The two meanings of 「〜そうです」
「〜そうです」 is used in the following two ways.
| Meaning | Source of information | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 「様態（ようたい）」 | what you see with your own eyes | 「ケーキがおいしそうです。」 (The cake looks delicious.) |
| 「伝聞（でんぶん）」 | something you heard from someone or read in an article | 「このケーキはおいしいそうです。」 (I hear this cake is delicious.) |
「様態」 is used for something that looks about to happen or how something appears right now. 「伝聞」 is used when you pass on what someone else said.
| Wording | How it sounds |
|---|---|
| 「おいしそうです。」 | You have not eaten it yet. You are guessing from how it looks. |
| 「おいしいそうです。」 | You have not eaten it yourself. You heard it from someone else. |
Whether there is an 「い」 or not changes the meaning.
Difference from 「〜らしいです」 (comparing two hearsay expressions)
The hearsay use of 「〜そうです」 and 「〜らしいです」, which we studied in ⑤, both pass on something you heard. But the degree of certainty and the speaker's distance from the information are different.
- 「〜そうです」 (hearsay): passes on what you heard more directly. It also works in news or article-style writing.
- 「〜らしいです」: passes on what you heard with a little more distance. It also fits rumours.
| Expression | Common scenes | Impression |
|---|---|---|
| 「〜そうです」 (hearsay) | news, reports, quotations from articles | the source sounds clear |
| 「〜らしいです」 | everyday conversation, rumours | slightly distant, somewhat softened |
Examples:
- heard it in a weather forecast -> 「明日は雨が降るそうです。」 (I hear it will rain tomorrow.)
- heard it as a rumour from a friend -> 「明日は雨が降るらしいです。」 (Apparently it will rain tomorrow.)
Difference from 「〜のようです」 (comparing two appearance-based expressions)
The appearance use of 「〜そうです」 and 「〜のようです」, which we studied in ④, both express how something seems. But the timing and basis of the observation are different.
- 「〜そうです」 (appearance): how it looks right now, or something that seems about to happen.
- 「〜のようです」: a judgement you make after putting together several pieces of information.
Examples:
- the sky is pitch black -> 「雨が降りそうです。」 (It looks like it is about to rain.)
- the road is wet and people have umbrellas -> 「雨が降ったようです。」 (It seems it rained.)
Remember it this way:
「そうです」 (appearance) is about an immediate impression,
while 「のようです」 is a more overall judgement.
Sentence form and how to build it
The two uses of 「そうです」 connect differently. This is the key point.
「そうです」 for appearance (what it looks like)
| Sentence type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i-adjective | remove the final 「い」 + 「そう」 | 「おいしい」 -> 「おいしそう」 |
| na-adjective | adjective stem + 「そう」 | 「元気（な）」 -> 「元気そう」 |
| Verb | remove 「ます」 from the 「ます」 form + 「そう」 | 「降ります」 -> 「降りそう」 |
Nouns are normally not used with the appearance use of 「そうです」.
「そうです」 for hearsay (something you heard)
| Sentence type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | noun + 「だ」 + 「そうです」 | 「学生だそうです」 |
| i-adjective | plain i-adjective + 「そうです」 | 「おいしいそうです」 |
| na-adjective | na-adjective + 「だ」 + 「そうです」 | 「元気だそうです」 |
| Verb | plain form + 「そうです」 | 「降るそうです」 |
A simple way to remember this is: for hearsay, attach 「そうです」 directly to the plain form.
A quick way to tell them apart
| Point | Appearance | Hearsay |
|---|---|---|
| i-adjective | drop the 「い」: 「おいしそう」 | keep the 「い」: 「おいしいそう」 |
| Verb | use the 「ます」 stem: 「降りそう」 | keep the plain form: 「降るそう」 |
| Noun | hardly used | can be used: 「学生だそう」 |
Scene ①: appearance (saying what you see)
You use it to describe what you feel from what is in front of you, or what seems likely to happen next.
- looking at a cake: 「このケーキ、おいしそうです。」 (This cake looks delicious.)
- looking at the sky: 「雨が降りそうです。」 (It looks like it is about to rain.)
- looking at a friend's face: 「元気そうですね。」 (You look well.)
In this way, it is used when you make a guess from what you can see with your own eyes. The feeling is, "I have not checked it yet, but that is how it looks to me."
Scene ②: hearsay (passing on something you heard)
You use it when you pass on something you heard from another person or read in an article.
- after seeing it in a weather forecast: 「明日は雨が降るそうです。」 (I hear it will rain tomorrow.)
- after hearing it from a friend: 「田中さんは来月結婚するそうです。」 (I hear Tanaka will get married next month.)
- after reading it in the news: 「新しい駅ができるそうです。」 (I hear a new station will be built.)
In this way, it is used when you pass on information that you did not confirm yourself and got from somewhere else. The feeling is not your own opinion or guess, but "I am simply telling you what I heard."
Caution: do not mix up the connection pattern
The main thing to watch is where the 「い」 goes.
| Incorrect | Correct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ 「おいしそうだそうです。」 | 「おいしそうです。」 | appearance (how it looks) |
| ✗ 「おいしいそう。」 | 「おいしいそうです。」 | hearsay (something heard) |
| ✗ 「降るそう」 (when you mean appearance) | 「降りそうです。」 | appearance (it looks about to rain) |
Also, people sometimes add 「〜ね」 or 「〜よ」 after 「そうです」 to add feeling.
- 「おいしそうですね。」 (appearance + asking for agreement)
- 「雨が降るそうですよ。」 (hearsay + giving information)
Choose the ending naturally according to the scene.
Where 「〜そうです」 fits and does not fit
| Fits | Does not fit |
|---|---|
| when you describe what is in front of you (appearance) | when you want to state a confirmed fact firmly |
| when you pass on something you heard directly (hearsay) | when you want to keep distance from it as a rumour (-> 「らしいです」) |
| when the source is clear in news or reports | when you want to state your own opinion |
| when you predict something that seems about to happen | when the source of the information is unclear |
Rephrasing options (kana（かな（ひらがなよみ））＋ IPA)
Here is how to choose between the two kinds of 「そうです」 and similar expressions.
| Rephrase type | Goal | Example | Reading (kana（かな（ひらがなよみ））) | Pronunciation (IPA) | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance (how it looks) | describe what seems to be happening in front of you | 「雨が降りそうです。」 (It looks like it is about to rain.) | （あめ が ふり そう です） | [ame̞ ɡa ɸɯɾi so̞ː de̞sɯ] | a prediction about something that seems likely right now |
| Hearsay (something heard) | pass on information from a source | 「雨が降るそうです。」 (I hear it will rain.) | （あめ が ふる そう です） | [ame̞ ɡa ɸɯɾɯ so̞ː de̞sɯ] | passes on what you heard directly |
| Observation-based inference | reason from the situation | 「雨が降ったようです。」 (It seems it rained.) | （あめ が ふった よう です） | [ame̞ ɡa ɸɯtta joː de̞sɯ] | a judgement from several clues |
| Hearsay with more distance | soften the information slightly | 「雨が降るらしいです。」 (Apparently it will rain.) | （あめ が ふる らしい です） | [ame̞ ɡa ɸɯɾɯ ɾaɕi de̞sɯ] | used for rumours or indirect information |
| Inference with some basis | give a prediction you feel fairly sure about | 「雨が降るでしょう。」 (It will probably rain.) | （あめ が ふる で しょう） | [ame̞ ɡa ɸɯɾɯ de̞ɕoː] | a guess based on some reason |
Note
IPA is approximate. Vowel length and the sound of 「ん」 vary by speaker. Check together with kana.
Practical switching examples (daily life and work｜kana（かな（ひらがなよみ））＋ IPA)
If you switch expressions according to the scene, your meaning comes across more clearly.
| Scene | Intention | Better wording | Reading (kana（かな（ひらがなよみ））) | Pronunciation (IPA) | Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily life (cooking) | say what you feel from the look of it | 「このスープ、おいしそうです。」 (This soup looks delicious.) | （この スープ おいし そう です） | [ko̞no̞ sɯːpɯ o̞iɕi so̞ː de̞sɯ] | appearance (you have not tasted it yet) |
| Daily life (friend) | pass on what you heard directly | 「山田さんは来月引っ越すそうです。」 (I hear Yamada will move next month.) | （やまださん は らいげつ ひっこす そう です） | [jamadasaɴ wa ɾaiɡe̞tsɯ çikko̞sɯ so̞ː de̞sɯ] | hearsay (heard from a friend) |
| School (test) | make a guess from how it looks | 「このテストは難しそうです。」 (This test looks difficult.) | （この テスト は むずかし そう です） | [ko̞no̞ te̞sɯto̞ wa mɯdzɯkaɕi so̞ː de̞sɯ] | appearance (from looking at the questions) |
| School (teacher's announcement) | pass on information you heard from the teacher | 「明日の授業は休みだそうです。」 (I hear tomorrow's class is cancelled.) | （あした の じゅぎょう は やすみ だ そう です） | [aɕita no̞ dʑɯɡʲoː wa jasɯmi da so̞ː de̞sɯ] | hearsay (heard from the teacher) |
| Work (meeting) | describe how things seem to be going | 「この案は通りそうです。」 (This proposal looks likely to pass.) | （この あん は とおり そう です） | [ko̞no̞ aɴ wa to̞ːɾi so̞ː de̞sɯ] | appearance (a guess from how the meeting is going) |
| Work (report) | pass on something heard from another department | 「来月、組織が変わるそうです。」 (I hear the organisation will change next month.) | （らいげつ そしき が かわる そう です） | [ɾaiɡe̞tsɯ so̞ɕiki ɡa kawaɾɯ so̞ː de̞sɯ] | hearsay (information heard inside the company) |
Small tips to make your meaning clearer
1) Add the source in one short phrase
The hearsay use of 「〜そうです」 becomes clearer if you mention the source.
- 「天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうです。」 (According to the weather forecast, I hear it will rain tomorrow.)
- 「田中さんの話では、会議は3時からだそうです。」 (According to Tanaka, the meeting starts at 3:00.)
If you place 「〜によると」 or 「〜の話では」 at the front, the source becomes clear.
2) For appearance, drop the 「い」. For hearsay, keep the 「い」
If you get confused with an i-adjective, remember this one point.
- 「おいしそう」 (appearance)
- 「おいしいそう」 (hearsay)
With verbs:
- 「降りそう」 (appearance: from the 「ます」 stem)
- 「降るそう」 (hearsay: from the plain form)
3) Switch by scene
- when you are saying what you saw and felt -> appearance
- when you are passing on what you heard -> hearsay
If you ask yourself Did I see it, or did I hear it?, choosing the natural form becomes easier.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
| Common sentence | What is the issue? | Fix (example) |
|---|---|---|
| 「このケーキは、おいしいそうです。」 (after you ate it yourself) | This is the hearsay form, so it sounds as if you heard it from someone else | 「このケーキは、おいしいです。」 / 「おいしそうです。」 |
| 「雨が降るそうです。」 (while looking at the sky) | This is the hearsay form, so it sounds as if you heard it | 「雨が降りそうです。」 |
| 「田中さんは元気そうだそうです。」 | Appearance and hearsay are mixed together, so it sounds unnatural | 「田中さんは元気だそうです。」 (hearsay only) |
| 「あの人は学生そうです。」 | Nouns do not normally combine with appearance 「そう」 | 「あの人は学生のようです。」 / 「学生だそうです。」 |
Summary
「〜そうです」 is a useful expression for:
- making a guess from what is in front of you (appearance)
- passing on something you heard from someone else directly (hearsay)
At the same time, in scenes where:
- you use the wrong connection pattern (the position of 「い」)
- you speak without making the source clear
- you want to give your own confident opinion
it is better to switch to another expression such as 「〜です」, 「〜でしょう」, 「〜らしいです」, or 「〜のようです」.
Keep asking yourself, "Did I see it, or did I hear it?"
Then switch among
「そうです」 (appearance), 「そうです」 (hearsay), 「らしいです」, 「のようです」, and 「でしょう」
to build Japanese that expresses your meaning accurately.
