Translation guide
Expresses that something appears to be the case based on evidence, hearsay, or impression. Japanese uses different structures depending on the source of information and level of certainty.
You are making a judgment from what you see, hear, or feel right now.
Attach to the stem of verbs and adjectives to express 'it looks/seems' based on direct evidence. For い-adjectives, drop the final い; for な-adjectives, use the stem without な.
雨が降りそうだ。
It seems like it's going to rain.
このケーキはおいしそうだ。
This cake looks delicious.
彼は元気そうだ。
He seems well.
Casual, conversational way to say 'it seems like' based on direct impression. Attach to plain forms.
あの人、怒ってるみたいだ。
That person seems angry.
More formal/written equivalent of みたいだ. Used for inference from evidence.
彼は疲れているようだ。
He seems to be tired.
You are relaying something you heard from someone else or read somewhere.
Attach to the plain form of verbs, adjectives, or nouns + だ to mean 'I heard that...'. Note: this is a different そうだ from the evidence-based one; here it follows the full plain form.
明日は雨が降るそうだ。
I heard it's going to rain tomorrow.
彼は学生だそうだ。
I heard he's a student.
Very casual hearsay marker used in conversation. Simply attach to the end of the quoted information.
明日雨降るって。
I heard it's gonna rain tomorrow.
Formal written expression for 'it is said that' or 'it means that'. Often used in news or reports.
会議は延期されるということだ。
It seems the meeting will be postponed.
You are guessing or have a feeling about something, without strong evidence.
Literally 'I have a feeling that...'. Used for intuitive, subjective impressions. Attach to plain form.
今日は何かいいことがある気がする。
I have a feeling something good will happen today.
彼は来ない気がする。
I have a feeling he won't come.
More thoughtful 'it seems to me that...'. Slightly more formal than 気がする.
彼の説明は少し変に思う。
His explanation seems a bit strange to me.
You are describing how something looks or appears, often with a nuance of 'apparently'.
Adverb meaning 'indeed', 'really', 'truly seeming'. Often used with そうだ or らしい to emphasize the appearance.
いかにもおいしそうなケーキだ。
It's a truly delicious-looking cake.
Expresses that something seems typical or characteristic of the subject, based on what you know. Attach to nouns, adjectives, or verbs.
彼は日本人らしい。
He seems like a typical Japanese person.
今日は春らしい天気だ。
Today's weather is spring-like.
Evidence そうだ attaches to the stem (降りそうだ = looks like it will rain). Hearsay そうだ attaches to the plain form (降るそうだ = I heard it will rain). Context and form make the difference clear.
みたい is casual and based on direct impression. らしい is based on typical characteristics or indirect evidence. そう (stem) is based on immediate sensory evidence. そう (plain form) is hearsay.
English 'it seems' is often used as a hedge. In Japanese, overusing そうだ can sound evasive or unnatural. Use 気がする for personal hunches, or simply state facts without hedging when appropriate.