In this #Japanese with anime post, we will take a closer look at そうだ and its confusing nature. There are two major meanings that we will cover. One of them belongs to the realm of modality (more on the topic here ⇒ Link Click), and the other meaning is used when reporting information (hearsay). If you're an advanced user/learner of Japanese, you know that there are other meanings/possible interpretations of this structure. I will briefly introduce them; however, I couldn't find any suitable examples in anime.
Examples in this post come from Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, and Naruto.
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Dictionary definition
According to weblio.jp そうだ is used to express:
1. 〈…らしい〉look; seem (to be); appear (to be); be likely to do
2. 〈…が当然 (とうぜん ; meaning: natural; appropriate) 〉 ought to
大学生なら知っていそうなものだ. A college student ought to know that.
3.〈今にも at any time/soon …しそう〉be going to; be on the point of doing; be about to do; threaten to do
今にも綻びそうなつぼみ A bud just ready to burst [on the point of bursting]
ミルクが吹きこぼれそうだ. The milk is going to boil over
4.〈…の由(よし） 〉 they [people] say; it is said; I hear; I am told; I understand
由 means 'piece of information that one has heard'
The first three definitions can be summarized as 'expressing educated guesses' (modality), which means you have some evidence to back up your claim. In English, when you say that something is going to happen, you mean that you are 80% sure that the thing is going to happen because you have evidence to which you can point your finger. A classic example from the ESL industry:
It's going to rain.
Why? Because the sky is turning dark, and you can feel the first raindrops on your face. You just made a very educated guess. You gathered the evidence and came up with a conclusion.
雨が降りそうだ。
Note #1 Remember that be going to can also be translated to つもり, which expresses 'intention'.
Translation problems
While そうだ can be translated to all the phrases that weblio.jp listed, it's important to remember that each of these phrases expresses a different degree of certainty, some of them aren't used interchangeably, and some refer to future or present events only. Apart from the abstract differences, the syntax accompanying these phrases is also crucial.
In English, it's okay to say It's going to rain based on the visible evidence (as opposed to will, which expresses predictions based on your experience); however, the Japanese sentence, while it tells us that there is the possibility of rain, it doesn't really emphasize the 'visible evidence' like the English sentence does.
In Japanese, two more phrases express 'educated guesses' where there is truly visible evidence, namely, みたい and よう.
Consider these two examples:
This cake looks delicious.
He seems angry.
Both looks and seems are listed as possible translations for そうだ. However, only one of the sentences can be translated using this phrase.
彼は怒っているようだ。
このケーキはおいしそうだ。
Why? Well, in English, the differences between look and seem are a bit blurry. You can say, This cake seems delicious, and He looks angry, but the meaning slightly changes.
In essence, look is based on visual appearance alone, and seem on everything the speaker knows about the subject.
This cake seems delicious means (in an appropriate context) that the speaker heard a description of a cake and is making a guess without seeing the cake.
This cake looks delicious means that the speaker is looking at the cake, and everything about the cake, the color, the texture, and whatever there is, suggests that the cake is delicious.
However, it's possible to say:
It seems like it's going to rain.
It looks like it's going to rain.
It looks like it's going to rain.
Both of these sentences translate to 雨が降りそうだ.
Actually, right before they got sick... (whatever sounds natural in English)
So, to answer the Why? from above, you need to consider how Japanese people express and form judgments. I had some Japanese language exchange partners tell me that seem and look were a bit confusing because for them something is either expressed through そうだ or ようだ.
The meaning of そうだ
そうだ expresses subjective judgments. This might be a little bit confusing for English speakers because It's going to rain doesn't convey the subjective meaning. There is present evidence that helps us form a rather objective statement. Additionally, it is used to talk about present or future events (as opposed to ようだ, which refers to past and present events).
However, the example with cake is more understandable because we all prefer different things, and we don’t know every flavor
in the world, and we can only assume/guess if the thing before our eyes is
delicious or not. It's my assumption. Someone else might have a different one.
Let's take a look at an example from Jujutsu Kaisen.
 |
| Jujutsu Kaisen; S01, Ep02 |
Itadori just agreed to eat Sukuna's fingers, which made Gojo happy.
楽しい地獄になりそうだ
The translation says, "Looks like." It's a good translation. Why "look" and not "seem" since Gojo doesn't really have any visible evidence? As we already established - differences are a bit blurry in English.
Note #2 It might be also that verbs 'look' and 'seem' in phrases 'it looks like' and 'it seems like' can be used interchangeably, but as standalone verbs, the differences are easier to fish out.
So, Japanese makes it obvious that Gojo's guess is subjective. For those of you who are up-to-date with the show, it's also rather clear, considering Gojo's disposition and attitude. From Itadori's perspective, things might not look or seem so "fun." You can also say that Gojo is talking about a future event - the 'fun hell' is yet to be experienced by both.
In this case, そうだ tells us that Gojo's assumption is subjective, and will happen in the future.
 |
| My Hero Academia; S01, Ep05 |
In this example, Kirishima was facing a villain who injected himself with a quirk booster. After the injection, he felt good and said:
兄貴ら 助けられそうよ
The translation is "I feel like," which, again, is a good translation because the English phrase belongs to the realm of modality. It tells us that the speaker is making a subjective guess. It's his perspective. Kirishima might think otherwise. Additionally, the villain refers to a future event - he will be able to save his brother in the immediate future.
 |
| Naruto Shippuden; Ep 132 |
何か… ネタがありそうですのぉ
The translation doesn't really use phrases such as 'seem' or 'look' or 'be going to,' but the phrasing "There's some trick to it" suggests 'guessing' on the speaker's part. Of course, there's そうだ because Jiraya doesn't really know the truth, and he is guessing. Subjective guess, it is his opinion about the present situation.
Grammar mechanics
- verb (in its 'pre-masu' form) + そうだ
- なadjective + そうだ
- いadjective (without
い) + そうだ
そう for reporting information
そうだ as a non-modal structure is used as a 'reporting expression'. Some of you
may be familiar with the concept of 'reporting verbs' in English, i.e.
He warned; accused; asked; suggested; etc. We use those instead of
saying, He said that.... そうだ works
just like those reporting verbs in English; however, it doesn't
encompass so many meanings and is more impersonal. It usually
translates to 'hear' or 'say' (I hear that... / They say that ... / It
is said ...).
How will you know if the そうだ
in your sentence is 'modal' or 'reporting'? Grammar mechanics before
the phrase itself and the context. The parts of speech directly before the
phrase have different forms. For the modal meaning, the verb is in its
pre-masu form (a verb without 'masu'), and the reporting structure
requires its verbs to be in their plain form (past or present).
Example: Sasaki explains why the rugby pitch is out of use (S01; Ep01).
 |
| Jujutsu Kaisen; S01; Ep01 |
実は 彼らが体調を崩す直前
Actually, right before they got sick... (whatever sounds natural in English)
|
体調を崩す
|
たいちょうをくずす
|
to get sick |
|
直前
|
ちょくぜん
|
just before |
 |
| Jujutsu Kaisen; S01; Ep01 |
奇妙な物音や声を聞いたそうです
... (they said) it is said they heard strange
noises and voices.
聞いた = past tense in plain form, so そうだ = reporting structure.
|
奇妙 |
きみょう |
strange; odd
|
|
物音 |
ものおと |
sounds [noun]
|
Another senpai came
in and clarified that the rugby pitch was out of use because
マダニが原因だそうだ
They say it was caused by ticks.
|
マダニ |
|
tick [the insect] |
|
原因 |
げんいん |
source; origin |
Grammar mechanics
- Verb casual +そうだ
- Noun + だ +そうだ
- いadjective +そうだ
- なadjective + だ +そうだ
Takeaways
そうだ is used for:
- subjective judgments
- present and future events
- reporting someone else's words.
- it's possible to replace そうだ with ようだ, but the context must be right.
In this example, このケーキはおいしそうだ we use そうだ because it's our subjective judgment, and we will find out if we are right or wrong in the future.
You say, 彼は怒っているようだ because he got angry in the past, and now you can see it (present result).
Of course, you can say このケーキはおいしいようだ, but you need the right context. Let's say, you see someone eating the cake; they are not just eating it, they are devouring it like crazy because it's so good. Them having their mouth full of cake and repeating うまい is your visible evidence, and that allows you to use ようだ.
皆さん、以上です。😃
