そう

See also: ぞう, Appendix:Variations of "so", and Appendix:Variations of "sou"

Japanese

Etymology 1

Japanese phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

Alternative spelling
然しかう (rare)

/sau/ → /sɔː/ → /soː/

Adverb

そう • (sō) ^{←さう (sau)?}

1. so, like that, in such a way, such

   それはそう。／そりゃそうだろ。

   Sore wa sō. ／ Sorya sō daro.

   Well, of course.

See also

Japanese demonstratives

	ko- “this” (close to speaker)	so- “that” (close to listener)	a- “that over there” (far from both)	do- “which” (indeterminate, question)
Object	これ (kore)	それ (sore)	あれ (are)	どれ (dore)
	これら (korera)	それら (sorera)	あれら (arera)	—
Determiner	この (kono)	その (sono)	あの (ano)	どの (dono)
	これらの (korera no)	それらの (sorera no)	あれらの (arera no)	—
Kind	こんな (konna)	そんな (sonna)	あんな (anna)	どんな (donna)
	こういう (kō iu)	そういう (sō iu)	ああいう (ā iu)	どういう (dō iu)
Place	ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あそこ (asoko)*	どこ (doko)
	こっから (kokkara)	そっから (sokkara)	—	どっから (dokkara)
Direction / Human	こちら (kochira)	そちら (sochira)	あちら (achira)	どちら (dochira)
	こなた (konata)	そなた (sonata)	あなた (anata)	どなた (donata)
Direction	こっち (kotchi)	そっち (sotchi)	あっち (atchi)	どっち (dotchi)
Human	こいつ (koitsu)†	そいつ (soitsu)†	あいつ (aitsu)†	どいつ (doitsu)†
Manner	こう (kō)	そう (sō)	ああ (ā)**	どう (dō)
Degree	これくらい (kore kurai)	それくらい (sore kurai)	あれくらい (are kurai)	どれくらい (dore kurai)
	これだけ (kore dake)	それだけ (sore dake)	あれだけ (are dake)	どれだけ (dore dake)
	これほど (kore hodo)	それほど (sore hodo)	あれほど (are hodo)	どれほど (dore hodo)
* irregular ** regular (long vowel) † potentially rude or derogatory

The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼かれ(あ) (a), and 何なに(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.

Interjection

そう • (sō) ^{←さう (sau)?}

1. yes, yeah; it's like that; that's how it is; I see. (interjection to show that the speaker is paying attention)
   • 1987 March 20 [1987 February 20], Fujiko Fujio, “テレパ椎しい(しい) [Telepathinkapin]”, in カンビュセスの籤くじ(くじ) [Cambyses’s Drawing] (藤子とうこ不二雄ふじお ＳＦ全ぜん短編たんぺん; 1), 2nd edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Chuokoronsha, →ISBN, 第だい二に章しょう, page 386:

     おれたちや親おや(しん)友とも(ゆう)だな！そうだな
     そうだ　そうだ

     Ore-tachi ya shin'yū da na! Sō da na
     Sō da Sō da

     We are bosom buddies! Yes, we are.
     Yes, we are. Yes, we are.

Synonyms

• はい (hai)
• その通つう(とお)り (sono tōri)
• うん (un)

Etymology 2

/sau/ → /sɔː/ → /soː/

Probably either a shift from 様よう (sama), or directly from 相そう (sō). Appears from the Muromachi period.

Possibly influenced by, or developed by analogy to, the adverbial and interjectional sō (然しかう).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [so̞ː]

• In Tokyo accent, the accent of the verb construction depends on the suffixed verb:

	Suffixed verb is accented	Suffixed verb is non-accented
Continuative stem + そう (sō) (evidential)	Result has the accent on the そ (so) mora Example: つくりそ​ーだ [tsùkúrísóꜜòdà]	Result is non-accented Example: あそびそーだ [àsóbísóódá]
Finite form + そう (sō) (hearsay)	Result keeps the original accent Example: つく​るそーだ [tsùkúꜜrùsòòdà]	Result is accented on the そ (so) mora Example: あそぶそ​ーだ [àsóbúsóꜜòdà]

Suffix

そう • (-sō) -na (adnominal そうな (-sō na na), adverbial そうに (-sō ni ni))

1. seem, seem like, appear
2. (after the plain form of a verb or adjective) apparently, heard that (relating something heard from someone or somewhere else)

Usage notes

This productive suffix meaning “seeming like” can come after a full phrase in plain form, or after a verb or adjective stem, thereby forming a -na adjective.

• After a full phrase in plain form, the resulting phrase implies reported speech, something heard from someone else. For example, the verb 降ふる (furu, “to fall from the sky”) plus this suffix forms 降ふるそう (furu sō, “I've heard that it will rain” or “someone told me that it will rain”). The adjective 美味おいしい (oishii, “delicious”) plus this suffix forms 美味おいしいそう (oishii sō, “I've heard that it's delicious”).

• After a verb or adjective stem, the resulting word means “it looks like X”. For example, the stem 降おり (furi-) of the verb 降ふる (furu, “to fall from the sky”) plus this suffix forms 降おりそう (furisō, “it looks like it will rain”). The stem 美味うまし (oishi-) of the adjective 美味おいしい (oishii, “delicious”) plus this suffix forms 美味うましそう (oishisō, “looks delicious”). However, いい (ii) + そう becomes よさそう (yosasō) and ない (nai) + そう becomes なさそう (nasasō).

The suffix should not be used after stem forms describing visually obvious physical traits like color. Although 赤あかいそう (akai sō, “I've heard that it's red”) would be valid, *赤あかそう (akasō, “it seems red”) would not. Another example of this is that 可愛かわいい (kawaii) means someone looks cute so it does not need another そう. (かわいそう (kawaisō) does exist, but means “pitiful” or “poor”.) The suffix should, however, be used when describing another person's mood or mental state. For example, if another person looks glad, one says 嬉うれしそう (ureshisō, “you seem glad”), which is more natural and polite than saying 嬉うれしい (ureshii, “you are glad”).

This word is morphologically a clitic after a phrase in plain form, and an inflectional suffix after a verb or adjective stem. It is classified as a 助動詞じょどうし (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar.

Inflection

Inflection of そう

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然みぜん形がた)	そうだろ	そうだろ	-sō daro
Continuative (連用形れんようけい)	そうで	そうで	-sō de
Terminal (終止しゅうし形がた)	そうだ	そうだ	-sō da
Attributive (連体れんたい形がた)	そうな	そうな	-sō na
Hypothetical (仮定かてい形がた)	そうなら	そうなら	-sō nara
Imperative (命令めいれい形がた)	そうであれ	そうであれ	-sō de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	そうではない そうじゃない	そうではない そうじゃない	-sō de wa nai -sō ja nai
Informal past	そうだった	そうだった	-sō datta
Informal negative past	そうではなかった そうじゃなかった	そうではなかった そうじゃなかった	-sō de wa nakatta -sō ja nakatta
Formal	そうです	そうです	-sō desu
Formal negative	そうではありません そうじゃありません	そうではありません そうじゃありません	-sō de wa arimasen -sō ja arimasen
Formal past	そうでした	そうでした	-sō deshita
Formal negative past	そうではありませんでした そうじゃありませんでした	そうではありませんでした そうじゃありませんでした	-sō de wa arimasen deshita -sō ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	そうで	そうで	-sō de
Conditional	そうなら（ば）	そうなら（ば）	-sō nara (ba)
Provisional	そうだったら	そうだったら	-sō dattara
Volitional	そうだろう	そうだろう	-sō darō
Adverbial	そうに	そうに	-sō ni
Degree	そうさ	そうさ	-sōsa

Etymology 3

Various.

Adjective

そう • (sō) -na (adnominal そうな (sō na na), adverbial そうに (sō ni ni))

1. 壮たけし: vibrant, manly, brave

Counter

そう • (-sō) 

1. 双そう: pairs
2. 壮たけし:
3. 層そう: floors in a building
4. 艘そう: small boats

Noun

そう • (sō) 

For pronunciation and definitions of そう – see the following entries.

【双そう】S [adjective] pair; double

【壮たけし】S [proper noun] a male given name

【相そう】3 [noun] appearance, how something looks [noun] an aspect of something [noun] (grammar) grammatical aspect [noun] (physics) a phase, as of matter [noun] (ikebana) the central supporting branch of an ikebana arrangement

【草くさ】1 [noun] grass [noun] a draft, a rough copy [noun] cursive, calligraphy in a running hand [noun] something unofficial, an informal abbreviation or knock-off

【喪も】S [noun] mourning

【葬ほうむ】S [noun] burial

【僧そう】S [noun] a (Buddhist) priest, bonze

【箏そう】H [noun] a guzheng, zheng (Chinese zither) [proper noun] a surname

【左右さゆう】 [noun] (obsolete) left and right [noun] letter; tidings

(This term, そう (sō), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as そう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as そう.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 宗そう, 奏そう, 荘そう, 庄しょう, 曹, 惣そう, 装そう, 想そう, 層そう, 争そう, 甑こしき, 騒, 疎うと雨う, 疏雨.)

Prefix

そう • (sō-) 

1. 総そう: gross, general

Proper noun

そう • (Sō) 

1. 壮たけし: a male given name
2. 宗そう: a surname
3. 宋そう: Song

Suffix

そう • (-sō) 

1. 走はし: race, run

Verb

そう • (sō) 

1. 添そう, 副ふくう: to accompany; to comply with
2. 沿そう: to follow; to run along
3. 候こう: (auxiliary) be, do