How to tell them apart
The same form そうだ splits on the source of the information. For hearsay, the speaker relays something they were told, so it attaches to plain forms of verbs and adjectives: 英語の先生だそうだ. For the looks-like use, the speaker judges from direct visual or sensory evidence, and it attaches to the stem of an adjective or verb: 美味しそうだ. Swapping them is wrong because you cannot report a rumor with the conjecture pattern, and you cannot express a visual guess with the hearsay pattern.
- そうだ Use そうだ when you are passing on information you heard from someone else.
- そうだ Use そうだ when you are making a guess from what you see or feel.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| そうだ souda | reportedly; from what I hear | N4 |
| そうだ souda | looks like; seems; appears to be | N4 |
そうだ souda
reportedly; from what I hear
そうだ conveys information the speaker learned from someone else, such as news, rumors, or another person, and is often translated as reportedly or I hear that. It attaches to a complete plain style clause, including plain verbs like くるそうだ, i-adjectives, and nouns or na-adjectives with だ as in 雨だそうだ. The clause before そうだ stays plain even in polite speech, and そうだ itself can become そうです for politeness.
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テレビによれば明日は雨だそうだ。
According to the TV, it will rain tomorrow.
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新聞によると男はついに自白したそうだ。
According to the papers, the man has finally confessed.
そうだ souda
looks like; seems; appears to be
そうだ reports a speaker's impression of how something looks or seems from what can be observed at the moment. It attaches to the masu-stem of verbs, as in 起こりそう, and to the stem of adjectives after removing final い from i-adjectives and な from na-adjectives, as in おいしそう and 楽しそう. The そう part conjugates like a na-adjective, giving forms such as そうな before nouns and そうに before verbs. Note the irregular stems よさそう from よい and なさそう from negative ない.
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よさそうな家だよ。
It seems to be a good house.
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おいしそうな料理ですね。
It looks appetizing.
そうだ and そうだ are both JLPT N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.