One of the most useful expressions in Japanese is ～がする, which lets you describe experiences of the five senses: hearing, smell, taste, touch/feeling, and sometimes even intuition. It’s a versatile grammar pattern that helps you sound more natural when talking about everyday experiences.

Let’s break down how it works.

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The Basic Pattern

The structure is simple:

[Noun] + がする

This means “to sense/feel [Noun].” The noun usually refers to a sound, voice, smell, taste, or feeling.

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1. Hearing: 音おと・声こえ (Sound & Voice)

You can use ～がする to describe what you hear.

• 変へんな音おとがする。
  I hear a strange sound.
  
• だれかの声こえがする。
  I hear someone’s voice.

This is especially common when you hear something but don’t know exactly what it is.

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2. Smelling: 匂におい (Smell)

Use ～がする to describe smells.

• いい匂においがする。
  It smells good.
  
• ガスの匂においがする。
  I smell gas.

You can add adjectives in front of 匂におい (like 甘あまい “sweet,” くさい “stinky,” etc.) to be more descriptive.

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3. Tasting: 味あじ (Taste)

When talking about food and flavors, ～がする is very natural.

• このスープはカレーの味あじがする。
  This soup tastes like curry.
  
• 薬くすりみたいな味あじがする。
  It tastes like medicine.

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4. Feeling: 感かんじ (Feeling/Sensation)

This is used both for physical sensations and abstract impressions.

• 寒さむい感かんじがする。
  I feel cold.
  
• この人ひとは優やさしい感かんじがする。
  This person gives me a kind feeling.

You’ll often hear 感かんじがする in everyday Japanese when describing an impression or vibe.

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5. Intuition/Impression

Sometimes ～がする expresses a hunch or subtle sense.

• 今日きょうは何なにかいいことがする。
  I feel like something good will happen today.
  
• この映画えいがはつまらない感かんじがする。
  I feel like this movie is boring.

This is more subjective, but it shows how flexible ～がする can be.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t use ～がする with things you clearly identify. For example:
  ✘ 犬いぬがする。 (wrong)
  ✔ 犬いぬの声こえがする。 (I hear a dog’s voice.)
• Remember that the noun must represent a perceived sense (sound, smell, taste, feeling), not just any random object.

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Summary Chart

Sense	Example Noun	Example Sentence	Translation
Hearing	音おと / 声こえ	変へんな音おとがする	I hear a strange sound
Smell	匂におい	いい匂においがする	It smells good
Taste	味あじ	甘あまい味あじがする	It tastes sweet
Feeling	感かんじ	寒さむい感かんじがする	I feel cold
Impression	感かんじ	優やさしい感かんじがする	I get a kind impression

Final Tip

Whenever you want to describe “It smells like… / It tastes like… / It feels like… / I hear…”, remember that ～がする is your go-to pattern. It’s simple, natural, and will instantly make your Japanese more expressive.

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