〜そうだ (hearsay): You use this to share something you heard. It means 'I hear that...' or 'they say that...'.

Dictionary

〜そうだ (hearsay)

You use this to share something you heard. It means 'I hear that...' or 'they say that...'.

N4 KMT4NeutralStandardAuxiliary ConstructionMixedIndirect Appearance And CharacteristicsGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + そうだPrimary

い-Adjective + そうだPrimary

な-Adjective + だ + そうだPrimary

Noun + だ + そうだPrimary

You use this to share something you heard. It means 'I hear that...' or 'they say that...'.

天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうだ。

According to the weather forecast, I hear that it will rain tomorrow.

NeutralNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayWeather & Geography

新しいレストランはあまり美味しくないそうだ。

I hear that the new restaurant isn't very delicious.

NeutralNon PastNegativeSentence EndingHearsayFood & Dining

田中さんから聞いたんですが、先週京都へ行ったそうです。

I heard from Mr. Tanaka that he went to Kyoto last week.

PolitePastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayTravel & Transportation Daily Life

その試験はとても難しいそうだから、一生懸命勉強しなければならない。

I hear that exam is very difficult, so we have to study hard.

NeutralNon PastAffirmativeMid SentenceHearsayEducation

報告書によると、実験の結果は良好だったそうだ。

According to the report, the results of the experiment were said to be favorable.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayScience & Math Work & Career

This grammar tells you what someone else said. It's like being a messenger. You are just passing along news. You can say who told you. Or you can just share the news.

This "I hear" そうだ is not the same as "it looks like" そうだ. "I hear" そうだ tells you what someone else said. "It looks like" そうだ tells you what you see. They also connect to words in different ways.

Don't use this when you describe a noun directly. For example, say "a story that is said to be true." Don't say "a true-sounding story." That is for a different grammar point.

Often confused with(2)

〜そうだ (appearance)

This means something 'looks like' or 'seems' a certain way. You use it when you see something and make a guess about it.

〜らしい

You use this when you hear something from someone else. It means 'it seems' or 'I hear that'.

Contrasts with(1)

〜と思う

You use this to say what you think. It shows your own ideas or guesses.

More formal alternatives(2)

〜らしい

You use this when you hear something from someone else. It means 'it seems' or 'I hear that'.

〜（ん）だって

You use this to say what you heard. It is like saying 'I heard that...' or 'they say that...' in English.

Less formal alternatives(2)

〜ということだ

You use this to tell what you heard from someone else. You also use it to explain or sum up a situation. It means 'I hear that...' or 'it means that...'.

〜とのことだ

You use this to share news you heard from someone else. It is like saying "I heard that..." or "They said that..."

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

〜い / 〜かった

This is the basic form of an い-adjective. It describes a quality of something. You use it for present or past qualities.

〜だ / 〜だった

This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.

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Dictionary

〜そうだ (hearsay)

You use this to share something you heard. It means 'I hear that...' or 'they say that...'.

N4 KMT4NeutralStandardAuxiliary ConstructionMixedIndirect Appearance And CharacteristicsGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + そうだPrimary

い-Adjective + そうだPrimary

な-Adjective + だ + そうだPrimary

Noun + だ + そうだPrimary

You use this to share something you heard. It means 'I hear that...' or 'they say that...'.

天気予報によると、明日は雨が降るそうだ。

According to the weather forecast, I hear that it will rain tomorrow.

NeutralNon PastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayWeather & Geography

新しいレストランはあまり美味しくないそうだ。

I hear that the new restaurant isn't very delicious.

NeutralNon PastNegativeSentence EndingHearsayFood & Dining

田中さんから聞いたんですが、先週京都へ行ったそうです。

I heard from Mr. Tanaka that he went to Kyoto last week.

PolitePastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayTravel & Transportation Daily Life

その試験はとても難しいそうだから、一生懸命勉強しなければならない。

I hear that exam is very difficult, so we have to study hard.

NeutralNon PastAffirmativeMid SentenceHearsayEducation

報告書によると、実験の結果は良好だったそうだ。

According to the report, the results of the experiment were said to be favorable.

FormalPastAffirmativeSentence EndingHearsayScience & Math Work & Career

This grammar tells you what someone else said. It's like being a messenger. You are just passing along news. You can say who told you. Or you can just share the news.

Don't use this when you describe a noun directly. For example, say "a story that is said to be true." Don't say "a true-sounding story." That is for a different grammar point.

Often confused with(2)

〜そうだ (appearance)

This means something 'looks like' or 'seems' a certain way. You use it when you see something and make a guess about it.

〜らしい

You use this when you hear something from someone else. It means 'it seems' or 'I hear that'.

Contrasts with(1)

〜と思う

You use this to say what you think. It shows your own ideas or guesses.

More formal alternatives(2)

〜らしい

You use this when you hear something from someone else. It means 'it seems' or 'I hear that'.

〜（ん）だって

You use this to say what you heard. It is like saying 'I heard that...' or 'they say that...' in English.

Less formal alternatives(2)

〜ということだ

You use this to tell what you heard from someone else. You also use it to explain or sum up a situation. It means 'I hear that...' or 'it means that...'.

〜とのことだ

You use this to share news you heard from someone else. It is like saying "I heard that..." or "They said that..."

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

〜い / 〜かった

This is the basic form of an い-adjective. It describes a quality of something. You use it for present or past qualities.

〜だ / 〜だった

This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.

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〜そうだ (hearsay)

Patterns4

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with7

Often confused with(2)

Contrasts with(1)

More formal alternatives(2)

Less formal alternatives(2)

Prerequisites3

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〜そうだ (hearsay)

Patterns4

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with7

Often confused with(2)

Contrasts with(1)

More formal alternatives(2)

Less formal alternatives(2)

Prerequisites3

Track your mastery