oishisou-vs-oishiisou

You’re looking at a dish and want to say “it looks delicious.” Do you write おいしそう or おいしいそう? This is one of the most common spelling confusions for Japanese learners — and it trips up even intermediate students. The difference comes down to a single い, and understanding why that い disappears will teach you a key rule about Japanese adjective conjugation that applies far beyond this one word.

Yuka

Hey Rei, what’s the best way to remember the difference between おいしそう and おいしいそう?

Rei

The best trick is to associate each word with a strong image or situation. By the end of this article you’ll have one for each — promise!

At a Glance: おいしそう vs. おいしいそう

The Two Meanings of 〜そう

The confusion exists because そう (sou) is used in two completely different grammatical patterns in Japanese, and they attach to words differently:

Pattern 1 — Appearance / Seeming (様態のそう): “It looks like / seems like [based on what I see]”
→ Attaches to the adjective stem (drop the final い from い-adjectives)
→ おいしい → おいし + そう = おいしそう

Pattern 2 — Hearsay (伝聞のそう): “I heard that / apparently [based on what I was told]”
→ Attaches to the full dictionary form of the adjective
→ おいしい + そう = おいしいそう

One い makes the difference between “it looks yummy” and “I heard it’s yummy.”

Yuka

That makes sense! So おいしそう is about… okay, I think I’m starting to get it.

Rei

You’re getting it! And the more you practice using おいしそう in sentences, the more automatic it becomes. Language learning is all about repetition.

おいしそう — “It Looks Delicious” (Appearance)

おいしそう uses the appearance 〜そう pattern. You form it by dropping the final い from the い-adjective おいしい and adding そう. This expresses that something looks delicious based on your direct observation — you can see it, smell it, or sense it with your own senses.

Formation: おいしい → おいし + そう = おいしそう

Example 1 — looking at food:

このケーキ、おいしそう！
Kono keeki, oishisou!
This cake looks delicious!

Example 2 — commenting on a meal being prepared:

とてもおいしそうなにおいがする。
Totemo oishisou na nioi ga suru.
It smells really delicious.

Example 3 — reacting to a food photo:

その写真のラーメン、めちゃくちゃおいしそうだね。
Sono shashin no raamen, mechakucha oishisou da ne.
The ramen in that photo looks incredibly delicious.

Grammar note: おいしそう can be used before a noun as a modifier: おいしそうなケーキ (a cake that looks delicious). The な is needed because そう creates a な-adjective-like form.

Yuka

Alright. And now explain おいしいそう? I want to make sure I have both down.

Rei

Sure! おいしいそう is actually the easier one to remember once you have a clear mental image. Let’s look at the examples.

おいしいそう — “I Heard It’s Delicious” (Hearsay)

おいしいそう uses the hearsay 〜そう pattern. You attach そう directly to the full dictionary form of おいしい (keeping the final い). This expresses that you heard or were told something is delicious — the information came from someone else, not your own senses.

Formation: おいしい + そう = おいしいそう

Example 1 — passing along a recommendation:

あのラーメン屋はおいしいそうだよ。
Ano raamen-ya wa oishiisou da yo.
I heard that ramen shop is delicious.

Example 2 — reporting what you read:

このレストランは口コミでおいしいそうです。
Kono resutoran wa kuchikomi de oishiisou desu.
According to reviews, this restaurant is supposed to be delicious.

Example 3 — sharing second-hand information:

友達が、あのお店のピザはおいしいそうって言ってた。
Tomodachi ga, ano omise no piza wa oishiisou tte itteta.
My friend said the pizza at that shop is supposed to be delicious.

The Rule: How 〜そう Attaches to い-Adjectives

This rule applies to ALL い-adjectives, not just おいしい. Memorize this pattern once and you’ll get it right every time:

Note on いい: いい is irregular — the appearance form is よさそう (not いそう). This is one of the few exceptions to the pattern.

Decision Flowchart: おいしそう or おいしいそう?

You want to say something about food being delicious:
            |
     ┌──────┴──────┐
     |              |
Are you describing   Did you HEAR
 what you SEE /      from someone
 sense directly?     else that it's
                     delicious?
     |              |
     v              v
おいしそう         おいしいそう
(drop the い)      (keep the い)
"It LOOKS          "I HEARD it's
 delicious"         delicious"

Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Yuka

Okay Rei, quiz time! I want to test how well I’ve absorbed all this.

Rei

Challenge accepted on your behalf! Let’s see how much of おいしそう and おいしいそう has sunk in.

Choose おいしそう or おいしいそう for each blank.

Q1. You see a beautiful cake in a bakery window and react.
あのケーキ、＿＿＿！
Ano keeki, ___!

Answer: おいしそう (oishisou)
Reason: You are seeing it directly → appearance そう → drop the い.

Q2. A friend told you about a new sushi restaurant. You tell another friend.
あの寿司屋は＿＿＿よ。
Ano sushi-ya wa ___ yo.

Answer: おいしいそう (oishiisou)
Reason: You heard this from your friend → hearsay そう → keep the full form.

Q3. You smell something amazing coming from the kitchen.
なんか＿＿＿においがする！
Nanka ___ nioi ga suru!

Answer: おいしそう (oishisou)
Reason: Sensing directly with your nose → appearance / sensing そう → drop the い.

Q4. You read online reviews saying a restaurant is delicious and tell a friend.
口コミによると、あの店は＿＿＿。
Kuchikomi ni yoru to, ano mise wa ___.

Answer: おいしいそう (oishiisou)
Reason: 口コミによると (according to reviews) signals hearsay → keep the full form.

Q5. Apply the same rule to むずかしい (difficult). How do you say “That exam looks difficult” (you see the exam paper)?
そのテスト、＿＿＿。

Answer: むずかしそう (muzukashisou)
Reason: Appearance そう (you see it) → drop the final い from むずかしい → むずかし + そう.

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