{"id":27048,"date":"2021-09-15T15:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T15:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=27048"},"modified":"2023-05-31T02:18:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T02:18:44","slug":"rashii-sou-mitai-ppoi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/rashii-sou-mitai-ppoi\/","title":{"rendered":"The difference between rashii, sou, mitai and ppoi in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re a Japanese learner, you might have already come across words like rashii \u3089\u3057\u3044, sou \u305d\u3046, mitai \u307f\u305f\u3044 <\/em>and ppoi\u3063\u307d\u3044. <\/em>These words are used to express “seems like” or “looks like”, or to express hearsay. So what is the difference\u00a0between rashii<\/em>, sou, mitai, <\/em>and\u00a0ppoi<\/em>?<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll break down each one so you can talk about observations in Japanese like a pro.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to say “seems like” in Japanese with rashii (\u3089\u3057\u3044)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is used when reporting hearsay or to make a judgment based on a situation. The main differences between <\/span>rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> are in the ambiguity and sources of information. <\/span>Rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is always based on other\u2019s opinions or an unknown, ambiguous source. <\/span>Sou<\/span><\/i> can come from your own observations or from a source you can identify (i.e. someone you heard, or an article you read).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is used more commonly in casual situations where <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> would feel too formal. Think of <\/span>rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0as \u201cthe word on the street,\u201d or as a common opinion like \u201cthey say…\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A popular musician is playing a show in town. With all the buzz surrounding the concert, you\u2019ve heard the tickets might sell out. You might say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u30c1\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u306f\u3059\u3050\u306b\u58f2\u308a\u5207\u308c\u308b\u3089\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong><\/span>
<\/b>Chiketto wa suguni urikireru rashi desu.
<\/span><\/i>(I heard) the tickets might sell out soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve never seen her but it\u2019s a common rumor that Asuka is the fastest runner on the track team. You might say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u660e\u65e5\u9999\u3055\u3093\u306f\u9678\u4e0a\u90e8\u3067\u4e00\u756a\u901f\u3044\u3089\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong>
<\/span>Asuka-san wa rikujyoubu de ichiban hayai rashi desu.
<\/span><\/i>I heard Asuka-san is the fastest runner on the track team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that in Japanese grammar, we don\u2019t use <\/span>rashii<\/span><\/i>\u00a0if you\u2019re expressing your opinion directly. Use this expression to point out a general opinion or consensus on a matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to say “seems like” in Japanese with sou (\u305d\u3046)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sou\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is used to makes judgments based on appearances. If you can\u2019t be totally sure of something, make an educated guess with <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i>. One of the most common <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> phrases you hear a lot in Japan is \u201cit looks delicious!\u201d When looking through a menu or a steaming bowl of ramen lands on your table, you can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u7f8e\u5473\u3057\u305d\u3046\uff01<\/strong>
<\/span>Oishi sou!
<\/span><\/i>Looks delicious!
<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If the sky is dark and cloudy but you didn\u2019t see the weather forecast you might say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u96e8\u304c\u964d\u308a\u305d\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong>
<\/span>Ame ga furi sou desu.
<\/span><\/i>It looks like rain.<\/p>\n

You see a trailer for a new movie you\u2019ve been waiting to see. It looks like a lot of fun:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u697d\u3057\u305d\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002
<\/strong>Tanoshi sou desu.
<\/span><\/i>Looks fun.<\/p>\n

The key to remember is that <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> expresses your judgment on something you haven\u2019t experienced yet. It\u2019s just your opinion or an educated guess based on the looks of things.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Rashii<\/p>\n

How to express hearsay in Japanese with sou (\u305d\u3046)<\/b><\/h2>\n

You can also use <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> to talk about something you overheard or read about. When using <\/span>sou<\/span><\/i> in this way, add it to the end of a complete sentence in casual speech form.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You overheard that a coworker quit the company from a third party. You can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u7531\u7d00\u3055\u3093\u304c\u8f9e\u3081\u308b\u305d\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002
<\/strong>Yuki-san ga yameru sou desu.
<\/span><\/i>I heard Yuki-san is quitting.<\/span><\/p>\n

You overheard a former student say your teacher\u2019s tests are difficult. You can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u5148\u751f\u306e\u8a66\u9a13\u306f\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u305d\u3046\u3053\u306e\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong>
<\/span>Sensei no shiken wa muzukashi sou desu.
<\/span><\/i>I heard the teacher’s tests are difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n

You read an article that said the beaches in Thailand are beautiful. Note that na-adjectives need \u3060 connected to \u305d\u3046. You can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u30bf\u30a4\u306e\u30d3\u30fc\u30c1\u306f\u7dba\u9e97\u3060\u305d\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong>
<\/span>Tai no bi-chi wa kirei da sou desu.
<\/span><\/em>I heard Thai beaches are beautiful.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to say “looks like” in Japanese with mitai (\u307f\u305f\u3044)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Mitai<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is used for things you observe directly. Mitai expresses more certainty than sou or rashii since you saw it yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, if you saw a co-worker smiling at their desk as you passed by, you can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u79c1\u306e\u540c\u50da\u306f\u5b09\u3057\u3044\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong>
<\/span>Watashi no douryo wa ureshi mitai desu.
<\/span><\/i>My colleague seems to be happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or if you\u2019re shopping for a laptop and see a model for much less than you\u2019ve seen elsewhere you might say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u3053\u306e\u30ce\u30fc\u30c8\u306f\u5b89\u3044\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002
<\/strong>Kono no-to wa yasui mitai desu.
<\/span><\/i>This laptop seems cheap.<\/span><\/p>\n

You might also see <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> \u3088\u3046 used instead of <\/span>mitai<\/span><\/i>. In Japanese grammar, there\u2019s no difference between <\/span>you <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>mitai<\/span><\/i>. But, <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> is a more formal expression. You\u2019ll often see this in writing instead of speech. Here\u2019s an example of \u201cthis jacket looks expensive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u5f7c\u306f\u4eca\u5fd9\u3057\u3044\u3088\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002
<\/b>Kare ha ima isogashii you desu.
<\/span><\/i>He looks busy at the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u3053\u306e\u30b8\u30e3\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u306f\u9ad8\u3044\u3088\u3046\u3067\u3059\u3002
<\/strong>Kono jyaketto wa takai you desu.
<\/span><\/i>This jacket looks expensive.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to say “like” in Japanese with \u3063\u307d\u3044<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ppoi<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is used to say \u201c-ish\u201d or \u201c-like.\u201d This expression is making a direct comparison with certainty. Where <\/span>mitai<\/span><\/i> means \u201cit seems \/ looks like\u201d based on appearances, <\/span>poi<\/span><\/i> says \u201cit is\u201d a certain way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, your friend Tanaka is acting really immature. You might say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u7530\u4e2d\u3061\u3083\u3093\u306f\u5b50\u4f9b\u3063\u307d\u3044\u3002
<\/strong>Tanaka-chan wa kodomoppoi.
<\/span><\/i>Tanaka is childish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or you\u2019re shopping and spot a cheap-looking jacket. You can say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u5b89\u3063\u307d\u3044\u30b8\u30e3\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u3002
<\/strong>Yasuppoi jyaketto.
<\/span><\/i>A cheap jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note that \u3063\u307d\u3044 is used conversationally and not in formal situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Learn<\/p>\n

Learn Japanese with Go! Go! Nihon<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now that you’ve learnt more about the difference\u00a0between rashii<\/em>, sou, mitai, <\/em>and\u00a0poi<\/em>, why not continue learning more Japanese? <\/span>Contact us<\/span><\/a> for information on how to get your Japanese language skills to the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or check out our <\/span>12-week online beginner course<\/span><\/a>. Get 12 weeks of detailed lessons you can take at your own pace. Hear real feedback from our instructors to reach your language goals faster. We also have other online courses to suit various levels and interests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’re a Japanese learner, you might have already come across words like rashii \u3089\u3057\u3044, sou \u305d\u3046, mitai \u307f\u305f\u3044 and ppoi\u3063\u307d\u3044. These words are used to express “seems like” or “looks like”, or to express hearsay. So what is the difference\u00a0between rashii, sou, mitai, and\u00a0ppoi? In this article, we\u2019ll break down each one so you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":26466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[404],"tags":[698,666],"class_list":["post-27048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-japanese","tag-japanese-lessons","tag-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}