そうに / そうな【そうに】

The forms そうな and そうに are the modifying forms of the ～そうだ construction, which expresses that something looks like, seems like, or appears to be a certain way based on visual impression or outward appearance. While ～そうだ ends a sentence as a predicate, そうな modifies a noun and そうに modifies a verb.

Formation

Attach そうな or そうに to:

• Verb masu-stem:ふる降る → 降り → 降りそうな / 降りそうに
• い-adjective stem (remove い): おいしい → おいし → おいしそうな / おいしそうに
• な-adjective stem (remove な): げんき元気な → 元気 → 元気そうな / 元気そうに

Exceptions:

• いい → よさそうな / よさそうに
• ない → なさそうな / なさそうに

そうな – Modifying nouns

そうな functions like a な-adjective and is placed before a noun to describe its apparent quality.

そうに – Modifying verbs

そうに functions as an adverb, describing the manner in which an action is performed – how someone appears while doing something.

Key nuance

This grammar expresses a subjective judgment based on appearance. The speaker is describing how something looks to them – not stating a fact. For example, おいしそうなけえきケーキ means "a cake that looks delicious" (you haven't tasted it yet), while おいしいけえきケーキ means "a delicious cake" (a statement of fact).

With verb stems, そうな/そうに conveys that something looks like it's about to happen: