そう

Japanese phrasebook

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

/sau/ → /sɔː/ → /soː/

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.

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) [Telepathinkapin]”, in カンビュセスの籤(くじ) [Cambyses’s Drawing] (藤子不二雄 ＳＦ全短編; 1), 2nd edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Chuokoronsha, →ISBN, 第二章, page 386:

     おれたちや親(しん)友(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.

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

/sau/ → /sɔː/ → /soː/

Probably either a shift from 様 (sama), or directly from 相 (sō). Appears from the Muromachi period.^[1][2]

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

• IPA^(key):

• In Tokyo accent, the accent of the verb construction depends on the suffixed verb:^[3]

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

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 降る (furu, “to fall from the sky”) plus this suffix forms 降るそう (furu sō, “I've heard that it will rain” or “someone told me that it will rain”). The adjective 美味しい (oishii, “delicious”) plus this suffix forms 美味しいそう (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 降り (furi-) of the verb 降る (furu, “to fall from the sky”) plus this suffix forms 降りそう (furisō, “it looks like it will rain”). The stem 美味し (oishi-) of the adjective 美味しい (oishii, “delicious”) plus this suffix forms 美味しそう (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 赤いそう (akai sō, “I've heard that it's red”) would be valid, *赤そう (akasō, “it seems red”) would not. Another example of this is that 可愛い (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 嬉しそう (ureshisō, “you seem glad”), which is more natural and polite than saying 嬉しい (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 (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar.

Various.

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

1. 壮: vibrant, manly, brave

そう • (-sō) 

1. 双: pairs
2. 壮:
3. 層: floors in a building
4. 艘: small boats

そう • (sō) 

(The following entries are uncreated: 宗, 奏, 荘, 庄, 曹, 惣, 装, 想, 層, 争, 甑, 騒, 疎雨, 疏雨.)

そう • (sō-) 

1. 総: gross, general

そう • (Sō) 

1. 壮: a male given name
2. 宗: a surname
3. 宋: Song

そう • (-sō) 

1. 走: race, run

そう • (sō) 

1. 添う, 副う: to accompany; to comply with
2. 沿う: to follow; to run along
3. 候: (auxiliary) be, do