相応 (souou) conjugation
suitability, fitness
相応 (そうおう, souou) is a na-adjective. Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
Conjugation table
| Form | Plain (casual) | Polite (~です) | When you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / plain | 相応だ sououda | 相応です sououdesu | The form you look up. Also the casual “is ~”. |
| Negative | 相応じゃない sououjanai | 相応じゃないです sououjanaidesu | “is not ~”. |
| Past | 相応だった sououdatta | 相応でした sououdeshita | “was ~”. |
| Past negative | 相応じゃなかった sououjanakatta | 相応じゃなかったです sououjanakattadesu | “was not ~”. |
| Te-form | 相応で sououde | — | Links to the next clause: “~ and …”. |
| Adverb | 相応に sououni | — | Turns it into “~ly”, describing a verb. |
| Before a noun | 相応な〜 sououna〜 | — | How it attaches when it modifies a noun. |
| Conditional (~ば/なら) | 相応なら souounara | — | “if it is ~”. |
| Conditional (~たら) | 相応だったら sououdattara | — | “if / when it is ~”. The everyday conditional. |
| Become (~なる) | 相応になる sououninaru | 相応になります sououninarimasu | “becomes ~” — the change-of-state form. |
| Too much (~すぎる) | 相応すぎる souousugiru | 相応すぎます souousugimasu | “too ~”. |
| Looks ~ (~そう) | 相応そう souousou | 相応そうです souousoudesu | “looks / seems ~” from appearance. |
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Why it conjugates this way
Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
See the full rules in the adjective conjugation guide.