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Grammar JLPT Level N4 - Lesson 7

Structure of みたい:

Verb + みたい +
[い]Adjective + みたい +
[な]Adjective + みたい +
Noun + みたい +

Details about みたい:

In Japanese, there are many ways to express that something happens in a way that is 'like' something else, or 'resembles' something else. One of these ways is through the use of the な-Adjective, みたい. みたい can be used after any word that a な-Adjective would usually follow, to express that something is 'like (A)', or 'similar to (A)'.
  • 明日(あした)(ゆき)()みたいだ
    It seems like it will snow tomorrow.
  • そこプール(あさ)みたいだ
    That pool over there seems shallow.
  • (かれ)地下鉄(ちかてつ)(きら)みたいだ
    It seems like he does not like subways.
  • その携帯(けいたい)パソコンみたいだ
    That cellphone looks like a computer.
In the above examples, we can see that みたい should always be followed by (or です) when it is at the end of a statement, however, this is frequently omitted.
  • 先輩(せんぱい)今日(きょう)()ないみたい
    It seems like senpai is not coming today.
みたい is also often used to describe another noun, but needs to be followed by な in these cases. In this type of sentence, it is just expressing that something is '(B), but resembles (A)'.
  • (かれ)スポーツ選手(せんしゅ)みたいなている
    He has a body like an athlete.
みたい is used most often in conversational situations, and is based on direct, reliable information. It is far less formal than its counterpart, ようだ.
みたい

Usage Notes for みたい:

Despite みたい meaning 'to resemble', and being based on (usually) visual stimulus, it should not be confused with ()たい 'to want to see'. This is a common mistake that learners make, as みたい itself does not have a kanji form.

Synonyms for みたい:

にみえる
To look, To seem, To appear
ようだ
It seems that, It appears that, It looks like
そう
Look like, Appear, Seem, Have a feeling that
みたいに・みたいな
Like, Similar to, Resembling
そうに・そうな
Seem, Look like, Sound
ように・ような
As・like, Just like
らしい ①
Seems like, Apparently, I heard

Example of みたい

この(いぬ)(くま)みたいです

This dog looks like a bear.

あの(ひと)有名人(ゆうめいじん)みたいです

That person resembles/seems like a famous person.

今日(きょう)(ひる)から(あめ)()みたいです

It looks like it will rain this afternoon.

あの(くも)(うま)みたい

That cloud resembles a horse. (Looks like)

あのビル会社(かいしゃ)じゃなくて病院(びょういん)みたい

It seems like that building is a hospital, and not a company.

Grammar same lesson

のに

Despite, Although, Even though
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とか

Among other things, For example, Such as
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こと

Converting a verb into a noun
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Converting adjectives to nouns
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等(など)

Such as, Things like, Etc., And so on
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