Japanese Grammar: ~がする (ga suru) – Expressing Senses and Feelings

Japanese Grammar: ~がする (ga suru) – Expressing Senses and Feelings
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To perceive a sensation such as a smell, sound, taste, or physical/mental feeling.

🎯 Primary Function

Expressing passive perception of senses and feelings.

📋 Grammar Structure

Noun + がする
i-Adjective + Noun + がする
na-Adjective + Noun + がする
Noun + がしない / がしません

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Commonly used in medical contexts (reporting symptoms) or polite descriptions of food and environment.

😊 Informal Situations

Extremely common in daily life for reacting to smells, tastes, and “vibes.”

✍️ Written Language

Used in descriptive writing, novels, and journals to describe atmospheres.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very frequent; often used spontaneously when noticing something.

💡 Common Applications

Sensory Perception
Used when you notice a taste, smell, or sound coming from an object or the environment.
Example: 変な味がする (Tastes strange)
Physical Sensations
Used for involuntary physical feelings like chills or nausea.
Example: 寒気がする (Feel chills)
Intuition or Hunches
Used to express a subjective feeling, premonition, or vibe.
Example: そんな気がする (I have a feeling that…)
📊
Frequency
High
🎚️
Difficulty
N4
Example Sentences
Example #1
いい匂いがします。
Furigana: いいにおいがします。
Romaji: Ii nioi ga shimasu.
English: It smells nice.
Example #2
隣の部屋で大きな音がした。
Furigana: となりのおやでおおきなおとがした。
Romaji: Tonari no heya de ookina oto ga shita.
English: There was a loud noise in the next room.
Example #3
このスープは少し変な味がする。
Furigana: このスープはすこしへんなあじがする。
Romaji: Kono suupu wa sukoshi hen na aji ga suru.
English: This soup tastes a bit strange.
Example #4
外で誰かの声がする。
Furigana: そとでだれかのこえがする。
Romaji: Soto de dareka no koe ga suru.
English: I can hear someone’s voice outside.
Example #5
悪い予感がする。
Furigana: わるいよかんがする。
Romaji: Warui yokan ga suru.
English: I have a bad premonition about this.
Example #6
誰かに見られている気がする。
Furigana: だれかにみられているきがする。
Romaji: Dareka ni mirarete iru ki ga suru.
English: I feel like someone is watching me.
Example #7
風邪をひいたのか、寒気がする。
Furigana: かぜをひいたのか、さむけがする。
Romaji: Kaze o hiita no ka, samuke ga suru.
English: I feel chills, so I might have caught a cold.
Example #8
少し吐き気がします。
Furigana: すこしはきけがします。
Romaji: Sukoshi hakike ga shimasu.
English: I feel a bit nauseous.
Example #9
この部屋はタバコの匂いがする。
Furigana: このへやはたばこのにおいがする。
Romaji: Kono heya wa tabako no nioi ga suru.
English: This room smells like cigarettes.
Example #10
この音楽はどこか懐かしい感じがする。
Furigana: このおんがくはどこかなつかしいかんじがする。
Romaji: Kono ongaku wa dokoka natsukashii kanji ga suru.
English: This music feels somewhat nostalgic.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Noun Choice
The noun before ‘ga suru’ must be a word representing a sense (sound, smell, taste, etc.).
Example: いい匂いがする。
Spontaneity vs Intention
‘Ga suru’ is for natural or accidental sounds, whereas ‘o dasu’ implies an intentional act of making a sound.
Example: 音がする vs 音を出す

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 変な味がある。
✅ 変な味がする。
Using ‘ga aru’ suggests the physical presence of a taste like a property, but ‘ga suru’ is the standard way to say something ‘tastes’ like something.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral-Polite. Using ‘ga shimasu’ is standard for polite conversation.
Social Situations: Used when reporting one’s own sensations to others (e.g., at a doctor’s office or a restaurant).
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

がする vs がある
‘ga aru’ indicates existence; ‘ga suru’ indicates active perception/sensation.
When to use: Use ‘ga suru’ for smells, tastes, and sounds. Use ‘ga aru’ for physical objects.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Since ‘suru’ is an irregular verb, it conjugates to ‘shita’ (past), ‘shinai’ (negative), and ‘shimasu’ (polite).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The particle ‘ga’ is often soft. In rapid speech, ‘ga suru’ can sound like a single unit.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘ga suru’ as ‘the sense is doing its job’ or ‘the sensation is presenting itself to me.’ It is passive and happens without your effort.

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