そう

• Reading: そう
• Romaji: sou
• Pronunciation: /soː/

Meaning

Appearing that; seeming that; looking like. Also used to agree: 'yes, that's right.'

A highly versatile word with multiple uses. As an auxiliary (〜そう), it attaches to verb stems or adjective stems to express appearance or likelihood (おいしそう = looks delicious). As a standalone response, そう or そうです means 'that's right.' Part of the ko-so-a-do demonstrative system.

Examples

1. 明日は雨が降りそうです。 It looks like it's going to rain tomorrow.
2. そうですね、私もそう思います。 That's right — I think so too.
3. このケーキはおいしそうですね。 This cake looks delicious, doesn't it?

Usage Guide

Context: conversation, descriptions, agreement

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese demonstrative system. そう belongs to the 'so' series indicating things related to the listener or previously mentioned. As an auxiliary expressing appearance, it derives from 様 (sama/sou, appearance).

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal