このレストランは入口からして高そうです。
- This restaurant looks expensive even from the entrance.

このレストランは入口からして高そうです。 meaning: This restaurant seems expensive, even just from the entrance.

The sentence follows a typical Japanese sentence structure, where the topic is established first, followed by a comment about the topic. ⚫︎ このレストランは (Kono resutoran wa) - "This restaurant" - This functions as the topic of the sentence, indicated by the topic marker は (wa). The subject of the sentence is implicitly included in the topic. ⚫︎ 入口からして (Iriguchi kara shite) - "Even from the entrance" - This phrase modifies the subject to provide more information about it, and the comment about the topic follows this phrase. ⚫︎ 高そうです (Takasou desu) - "Seems expensive" - This is the main part of the sentence, the comment about the topic. It indicates the speaker's guess or impression.

This is an N2 level fixed expression that is used to emphasize a specific aspect or detail as an indicator of a broader situation or characteristic. It means "even from" or "considering...". ⚫︎ It emphasizes that even from the mentioned point (in this case, the entrance), the speaker can infer something. ⚫︎ Structure: [Noun/Phrase] + からして ⚫︎ Example: あの人は顔からして怖い。 (Ano hito wa kao kara shite kowai.) - "That person seems scary, even just from their face." ⚫︎ Example: この問題は最初のページからして難しい。 (Kono mondai wa saisho no peeji kara shite muzukashii.) - "This problem is difficult, even from the first page."

This auxiliary verb (or adjective) is used to express the speaker's inference or guess based on observation or information. It is commonly used with adjectives and verbs. ⚫︎ Formation: * For い-adjectives: drop the い (i) and add そう (sou). E.g., 高い (takai - expensive) -> 高そう (takasou - seems expensive) * For な-adjectives: add そう (sou). E.g., 静か (shizuka - quiet) -> 静かそう (shizukasou - seems quiet) * For verbs: Use the stem of the verb (masu-stem). E.g., 食べる (taberu - to eat) -> 食べそう (tabesou - seems like (someone) will eat) ⚫︎ It is important to note that when using this grammatical pattern, you describe the situation or condition by what appears to the speaker and not by definitive facts. ⚫︎ Example: 今日は雨が降りそう。 (Kyou wa ame ga furisou.) - "It looks like it will rain today." ⚫︎ Example: 彼は忙しそう。 (Kare wa isogasou.) - "He looks busy." ⚫︎ This form can also be combined with the past tense: ～そうだった (sou datta), meaning "it seemed like..." or "it looked like...".

Japanese sentences often depend on particles to show relationships between words in a sentence, and understanding these particles is critical at N2 level. ⚫︎ は(wa): The topic marker, as mentioned earlier, marks the topic of the sentence. It indicates what the sentence is about. The topic is the subject that the sentence will be commenting on. * Example: 私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - "I am a student." (私 (watashi - I) is the topic.) ⚫︎ から(kara): Indicates the starting point, origin, or cause. In this case, 入口から (iriguchi kara) indicates the starting point for the speaker's judgement about the restaurant's expensiveness. * Example: 家から学校までバスで行きます。 (Ie kara gakkou made basu de ikimasu.) - "I go to school by bus from home." (家から (ie kara - from home) indicates the origin.)

Japanese adjectives, especially い-adjectives, have conjugations that change depending on tense, politeness, and the intended meaning. ⚫︎ 高い (takai - expensive/high) is an い-adjective. ⚫︎ Basic Form: 高い (takai) ⚫︎ Polite Present Affirmative: 高いです (takai desu) ⚫︎ Polite Present Negative: 高くないです (takakunai desu) ⚫︎ Past Tense: 高かった (takakatta - was expensive/high) ⚫︎ Polite Past Affirmative: 高かったです (takakatta desu) ⚫︎ Polite Past Negative: 高くなかったです (takakunakatta desu) ⚫︎ Negative Present Form: 高くない (takakunai) ⚫︎ When used with そう (sou), you must drop the い (i) and add そう (sou) as explained above.