がする — Involuntary sense perception
Expresses involuntary sensory perception — what one smells, hears, tastes, or physically feels from the environment. The perceived sensation takes が.
Structure
[Sensation noun] が する
Examples
いい匂いがする。何を料理しているの？
Ii nioi ga suru. Nani o ryōri shite iru no?
It smells good. What are you cooking?
匂い (smell) + がする = there is a smell
変な音がする。エンジンが壊れたかも。
Henna oto ga suru. Enjin ga kowareta kamo.
There's a strange sound. The engine might be broken.
変な音がする = I hear a strange sound
頭痛がする。病院に行ったほうがいい。
Zutsū ga suru. Byōin ni itta hō ga ii.
I have a headache. I should go to the hospital.
頭痛がする = I have a headache (bodily sensation)
• Sensation set with がする: 匂い/香り (smell), 音/声 (sound), 味 (taste), 感じ (feeling/sense), 予感 (premonition), 気 (sensation/feeling), plus bodily 頭痛・寒気・吐き気・めまい. • Note: These are all involuntary. • Summary: Intentional perception uses different verbs: 匂いを嗅ぐ (intentionally smell), 聞く (listen on purpose).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones がする is tested against.
vs がある (there is)
音がある merely states existence; 音がする conveys the sensation is being PERCEIVED right now (I hear it). がする is limited to a fixed set of sensory nouns.
vs が見える / が聞こえる
見える (can see) and 聞こえる (can hear) are spontaneous-potential perceptions of specific sights/sounds. がする covers a broader 'a sensation occurs' feeling — smells, vague sounds, premonitions, bodily feelings.
More expressions
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