~そう (looks like)
grammar118 sentences
The appearance-based conjecture ~そう (auxiliary そうだ as a copula form), meaning 'looks like / seems / appears to.' Attaches to adjective stems (寂しそう = 'looks lonely,' おいしそう = 'looks delicious') or verb masu-stems (降りそう = 'looks like it will fall'). Captures inferences from immediate visual or behavioural evidence. Distinct from the hearsay ~そうだ that attaches to the full plain form.