「今まで僕みたいなかわいい先生いた？」
= Imamade boku mitai na kawaii sensei ita?
= Was there a cute teacher like me before?
ニャ～～～
= Nyaaa
= Meow
Hi everyone!
We have the cutest teacher today.
His name is Nian Nian. !onpu!
Though he is very young, he is willing to teach you Japanese today.
*********
みなさん、はじめまして！Nian Nianです。
= Minasan, hajimemashite! Nian Nian desu.
= Nice to meet you, everyone! I am Nian Nian.
Today I will be your teacher. I am little but please show me some respect. ニャ～ = Nyaa = Meow! 😸
So today’s topic is how to use みたい ( = mitai).
Maggie sensei told me many of you asked her the difference between みたい ( = mitai), よう ( = you), らしい ( = rashii) and そう ( = sou) and she realized she hasn’t made a
lesson on みたい ( = mitai) so here we go!
How to form
★noun + みたい ( = mitai)
Ex. 犬みたい
= inu mitai
past tense
Ex. 犬だったみたい。
= Inu datta mitai.
negative form
Ex. 犬ではないみたい 。
= Inu de wa nai mitai.
(casual)
Ex. 犬じゃないみたい。
= Inu ja nai mitai.
past negative
Ex. 犬ではなかったみたい。
= Inu dewa nakatta mitai.
(casual)
Ex. 犬じゃなかったみたい。
= Inu janakatta mitai.
★verb plain form + みたい ( = mitai)
Ex. 行くみたい ( = iku mitai)
(negative) 行かないみたい ( = ikanai mitai)
Ex. 行ったみたい ( = itta mitai)
(negative) 行かなかったみたい ( = ikanakatta mitai)
Ex. 行っているみたい ( = itte iru mitai)
(negative) 行っていないみたい ( = itte inai mitai)
Ex. 行っていたみたい ( = itte ita mitai)
(negative) 行っていなかったみたい ( = itte inakatta mitai)
★verb te form 〜て(=te) + みたい ( = mitai)
行ってみたい ( = itte mitai)
★adjective + みたい ( = mitai)
*na-adjecitve
Ex. 静かみたい
= shizuka mitai
past tense
Ex. 静かだったみたい。
= Shizuka datta mitai.
negative form
Ex. 静かではなかったみたい。
= Shizuka dewa nakatta mitai.
(casual)
Ex. 静かじゃなかったみたい。
= Shizuka ja nakatta mitai
*i-adjecitve
Ex. かわいいみたい
= kawaii mitai
*past tense
Ex. かわいかったみたい
= Kawaikatta mitai
*negative form
Ex. かわいくないみたい
= Kawaiku nai mitai
past negative
Ex. かわいくなかったみたい
= Kawaiku nakatta mitai
How to use:
1) Like something / someone
＊Noun + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + verb
Ex. 兄貴みたいになりたくないよ。(male speech)
= Aniki mitai ni naritaku nai yo.
= (Talking to his older brother) I don’t want to be like you.
= I don’t want to be like my older brother.
Ex. 彼は子供みたいに笑う。
= Kare wa kodomo mitai ni warau.
= He laughs/smiles like a child.
*****
＊Noun + みたい (= mitai) + に ( = ni) + (adverb)+ verb
Ex. 叔父みたいに自由に生きたい。
= Oji mitai ni jiyuu ni ikitai.
= I would like to live freely like my uncle.
Ex. コンピューターみたいに正確に計算できない。
= Konpyuutaa mitai ni seikaku ni keisan dekinai.
= I can’t calculate as accurately as a computer.
****
☆Noun + みたい ( = mitai) ( + auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) ): like something (Expressing the similarity)
Note: You sometimes omit auxiliary verb in conversation.
Ex. かわいいドレス！お姫様みたいだね。
= Kawaii doresu! Ohimesama mitai dane.
= Cute dress! You look like a princess.
Ex. 「 誰？今、私のことブタみたいだっていったの？」
= Dare? Ima, watashi no koto buta mitai datte itta no.
= Who just said I look like a pig?
「そんなこと、言っていないよ。”子豚みたい（だ）“って言ったんだよ。」
= Sonna koto, itte inai yo. “Kobuta mitai (da)” tte ittan dayo.
= I didn’t say such a thing. I said you looked like a piglet.
Ex. この肉、チキンみたいだね。
= Kono niku, chikin mitai dane.
= This meat is like chicken, huh?
Ex. 歌い方が、素人じゃないみたい。
= Utaikata ga, shirouto ja nai mitai.
= The way you sing is not like an amateur.
= You sing like a pro.
Ex. どうしたの？お洒落して。いつものお母さんじゃないみたいだよ。
= Doushitano? Oshare shite. Itsumo no okaasan ja nai mitai dayo.
= Wow, how come you dressed up? You don’t look like the Mom that I know.
Ex. かわいい赤ちゃんですね。お人形さんみたい。
= Kawaii akachan desune. Oningyou san mitai.
= What a cute baby. Just like a doll.
Note: It is a common Japanese phrase. Use it if you want to praise a cute baby.
****
＊Noun + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adjective
Ex. この服、ばかみたいに安かったんだ。
= Kono fuku, bakamitai ni yasukattanda.
= These clothes were ridiculously cheap.
Ex. このパンは石みたいにかたい。
= Kono pan wa ishi mitai ni katai.
= This bread is as hard as a rock.
Ex. 僕の彼女は、モデルみたいにきれいです。
= Boku no kanojo wa moderu mitai ni kirei desu.
= My girlfriend is as beautiful as a model.
******
☆Noun + みたい ( = mitai) + な ( = na) + noun
Ex. 私達は家族みたいなものです。
= Watashitachi wa kazoku mitai na mono desu.
= We are like family.
Ex. マギーみたいな犬が欲しい。
= Maggie mirai na inu ga hoshii.
= I would love to have a dog like Maggie.
Ex. こんな子供みたいなけんかはやめよう。
= Konna kodomo mitai na kenka wa yameyou.
= Let’s stop this childish fight.
Ex. 私にとって、彼は神様みたいな存在です。
= Watashi ni totte, kare wa kamisama mitaina sonzai desu.
= He is like God to me.
Ex. 娘：「将来、お父さんみたいな人と結婚したい。」
= Musume: Shourai, otousan mitaina hito to kekkon shitai.
= Daughter: I would like to marry someone like Dad.
父：「なんでも買ってあげるよ！」
= Nandemo katte ageruyo.
= I will buy you anything!
📝 The difference between みたい ( = mitai), らしい ( = rashii) and っぽい ( = ppoi)
*みたい ( = mitai) like ~
*らしい ( = rashii) the way someone/something is supposed to be （Related Lesson: Click here.)
*っぽい (=ppoi) conversational ~ ish (Related Lesson: Link is here)
Ex. 女らしい
= onna rashii
= feminine (positive)
Ex. 女みたい
= onna mitai
= like a woman (negative/ looking down on women/ feminine look or behavior)
Ex. 女っぽい
= onnappoi
= If you refer to a woman, it is positive. feminine, sexy ( positive )
Similar to 女らしい ( = onna rashii) / If you refer to a man it is negative. ( similar to 女みたい ( = onna mitai))
2) ~ just like doing something
* verb + みたい ( = mitai) + な ( = na) + noun
Ex. ディズニーにいるとおとぎ話の世界にいるみたいな気分になれる。
= Dezunii ni iru to otogibanashi no sekai ni iru mitai na kibun ni nareru.
= Disneyland makes me feel like I am in a fairy tale world.
Ex. 毎日、仕事ばかりで、夢の中でも働いているみたいな気になる。
= Mainichi, shigoto bakari de, yume no naka demo hataraiteiru mitai na ki ni naru.
= I work very hard every day. I feel like I am working even in my dreams.
Ex. 彼女は、レストランで食べるみたいなご馳走を作ってくれる。(conversational)
= Kanojo wa, resutoran de taberu mitai na gochisou wo tsukutte kureru.
= She (or My girlfriend) cooks great meals just like restaurant food.
Ex. あの子が持っているみたいなバッグが欲しい。
= Anoko ga motte iru mitai na baggu ga hoshii.
= I want a bag just like she has.
* verb + みたい ( = mitai) ( + auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) )
Ex.こんな可愛い服を着ているとお姫様になったみたいだ。
= Konna kawaii fuku wo kite iru to ohimesama ni natta mitai da.
= I feel like becoming a princess in this cute dress.
Ex. ジャニーズの年末コンサートに行けるなんて夢をみているみたいです。
= Janiizu no nenmatsu konnsaato ni ikeru nante yume wo mite iru mitai desu.
= I can’t believe I could go to Jonney’s New Year’s concert. I feel like I’m dreaming.
Ex. 彼の車の運転は荒いのでジェットコースターに乗っているみたいだった。
= Kare no kuruma no unten wa arai no de jetto koosutaa ni notte iru mitai datta.
= The way he drives a car is so rough that I felt like I was riding a roller coaster.
Note: You can replace みたい ( = mitai) with よう ( = you) . みたい ( = mitai) is more conversational.
3) to do / to be something just like doing something
☆ verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + verb/ adjective/ adverb + verb
*verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + verb
1) verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + verb = to do something / to be ~ just like doing something
Ex. このB&Bでは、まるで自分の家にいるみたいにくつろげる。
= Kono B&B de wa maru de jibun no ie ni iru mitai ni kutsurogeru.
= I can relax at this B&B as if I am at home.
Ex. Skypeで話しているとすぐ近くにいるみたいに聞こえる。
= Sukaipu de hanashite iru to sugu chikaku ni iru mitai ni kikoeru.
= I can hear you as if we were next to each other when I talk on Skype.
2) verb te form ~ て ( = te) + みたい ( = mitai) =would like to do/try something （to express your desire）
Ex. いつか日本に行ってみたいです。
= Itsuka nihon ni itte mitai desu.
= I would like to go to Japan someday.
Ex. こんな素敵なホテルに泊まってみたい。
= Konna sutekina hoteru ni tomatte mitai.
= I would like to stay in such a lovely hotel.
Ex. 一生のうち、一度はファーストクラスに乗ってみたいなあ。
= Isshou no uchi, ichido wa faasuto kursau ni notte mitai naa.
= I wish I could fly first class once in my life.
* verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adjective
Ex. この靴は、まるで雲の上を歩いているみたいに軽い。
= Kono kutsu wa, maru de kumono ue wo aruite iru mitai ni karui.
= These shoes are so light it feels like I’m walking on the clouds.
* verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adverb + verb
Ex. このB&Bでは、まるで自分の家にいるみたいにゆったりとくつろげる。
= Kono B&B de wa maru de jibun no ie ni iru mitai ni yuttari to kutsurogeru.
= I can relax at this B&B as if I am at home.
****
4) noun + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adjective ( + verb)
Ex. このホテルはヨーロッパのお城みたいに美しい。
= Kono hoteru wa youroppa no oshiro mitai ni utsukushii.
= This hotel is as beautiful as a European castle.
Ex. Nian Nian先生みたいにかわいくなりたい。
= Nian Nian sensei mitai ni kawaiku naritai.
= I would like to be as cute as Nian Nian Sensei.
Ex. ネーティブみたいにうまく発音できない。
= Neitibu mitai ni umaku hatsuon dekinai.
= I can’t pronounce as well as a native speaker.
Note: You can replace みたいに ( = mitaini) with のように ( = no you ni) in these example sentences.
It is more conversational than のように ( = no you ni)
5) kind of, something like (conversational):
☆noun + みたいな ( = mitaina)
Ex. このカタログにある棚みたいなのない？ (conversational)
= Kono katarogu ni aru tana mitai nano nai?
= Do you have a shelf just like the one in this catalog?
Ex. 「なんか日本のお土産でいいものない？」
= Nanka nihon no omiyage de ii mono nai?
= Are there any interesting Japanese souvenirs?
「風呂敷みたいなものはどう？」
= Furoshiki mitaina mono wa dou?
= How about something like “furoshiki” (wrapping cloth)?
Ex. お茶みたいなものない？ (colloquial)
= Ocha mitai na mono nai?
= Do you have something like tea?
Note: It is a roundabout expression instead of saying お茶ない？ ( = Ocha nai)? = Do you have tea?)
Note: You can also use よう ( = you )
verb + ような ( = youna) + noun / noun+ のような ( = no youna) + something/someone
☆verb + みたいな ( = mitaina) + noun
Ex. マギー先生が今週は宿題がないみたいなことを言っていた。
= Maggie sensei ga konshuu wa shukudai ga nai mitai na koto wo itte ita.
= Maggie sensei was saying something like we don’t have any homework this week.
6) Colloquial usage: You may not find this usage in your textbook.
Some young people tend to leave a sentence unfinished on purpose with みたいな… ( = mitaina…)
As Maggie Sensei explained in her 曖昧 ( = aimai) vague expression lesson, Japanese people prefer to avoid expressing their opinion straightforward.
Ex. なんか、お腹減った、みたいな….
= Nanka, onaka hetta, mitaina…
= ( literal meaning) I might be hungry.
= I am kind of hungry, you know…
Ex. 翔君が好き、みたいな….
= Shou-kun ga suki, mitaina…
= (literal meaning) I might like you, Sho-kun.
= I kind of like you, Sho-kun.
******
7) I heard ~: Telling someone what you heard or read somewhere.
☆noun/ verb / adjective + みたい (= mitai) ( + auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) )
*noun+ みたい (= mitai) ( +auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) )
Ex. 真理ちゃんが好きなのは、誠君ではなくて、淳君みたいだ。
= Mari chan ga sukina no wa, Makoto-kun de wa nakute, Atsushi-kun mitai da.
= I heard the person whom Mari likes is Atsushi-kun. Not Makoto-kun.
Ex. ホホバオイルは敏感肌の人でも使えるオイルみたいです。
= Hohoba oiru wa binkan hada no hito demo tsukaeru oiru mitai desu.
= I heard Jojoba oil can be used by even those who have sensitive skin.
*adjective + みたい ( = mitai) ( +auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) )
Ex. 彼女の家はすごく大きいみたいです。
= Kanojo no ie wa sugoku ookii mitai desu.
= I heard her house is very big.
Ex. 田中君の新しい彼女はかわいいみたいだよ。
= Tanaka-kun no atarashii kanojo wa kawaii mitai dayo.
= I heard Tanaka-kun’s new girlfriend is cute.
Ex. 相手チームはとても強いみたいだからがんばってね。
= Aite chiimu wa totemo tsuyoi mitai dakara ganbatte ne.
= Do your best because I heard the opposing team is very strong.
* ( adverb +) verb + みたい ( = mitai) ( +auxiliary verb だ ( = da) / です ( = desu) )
Ex. 台風で電車が止まっているみたいだ。
= Taifuu de densha ga tomatte iru mitaida.
= I heard the trains stopped due to a typhoon.
Ex. 最近、車を買ったみたいだけど、今度、乗せてよ。
= Saikin, kuruma wo katta mitai dakedo, kondo, nosete yo.
= I heard you bought a car recently. Can you give me a ride sometime?
Ex. 課長はくびになったみたいだ。
= Kachou wa kubi ni natta mitaida.
= I heard the section manager got fired.
Ex. 彼は昔の記憶をすっかりなくしたみたいだ。
= Kare wa mukashi no kioku wo sukkari nakushita mitaida.
= It seems like he lost all the past memories.
Note: This usage of みたい ( = mitai) is similar to そう ( = sou) and らしい ( = rashii) and a lot of time they are interchangeable.
Ex. 彼は、最近、彼女と別れたみたいです。
= Kare wa saikin, kanojo to wakareta mitai desu.
= I heard he just broke up with her. / It looks like he just broke up with her.
(casual)
Ex. 彼、最近、彼女と別れたみたい。
= Kare, saikin, kanojo to wakareta mitai.
= I heard he just broke up with her. / It looks like he just broke up with her.
Note: When you just quote what you heard, you say だそうです ( = dasoudesu) / ( casual) だって ( = datte)
Ex. 彼は、最近、彼女と別れたそうです。
= Kare wa, saikin, kanojo to wakareta sou desu.
= I heard he just broke up with her.
(casual)
Ex. 彼、最近、彼女と別れたんだって。
= Kare, saikin, kanojo to wakaretan datte.
= I heard he just broke up with her.
*****
Ex. 彼は、最近、彼女と別れたらしいです。
= Kare wa, saikin, kanojo to wakareta rashii desu.
= I heard he just broke up with her.
(casual)
Ex. 彼は最近、彼女と別れたらしい。
= Kare wa saikin, kanojo to wakareta rashii.
= I heard he just broke up with her.
8) みたい ( = mitai) can be used to tell someone what you heard and also to express your assumptions.
It seems like / Looks like ~ (based on the speaker’s first-hand experience/ from what I have experienced )
Ex. ちょっと熱があるみたいなので今日は早く帰ります。
= Chotto netsu ga aru mitai nanode kyou wa hayaku kaerimasu.
= I think I have a fever so I will go home earlier.
Ex. A: 「まだお店やっているかなあ。」
= Mada omise yatte iru kanaa.
= I wonder if the place is still open.
B: 「まだやっているみたいだよ。中に人がいるから…。」
= Mada yatte iru mitai dayo. Naka ni hito ga iru kara…
= It looks like they are still open. I can see people inside so…
Ex. この自動販売機は壊れているみたいだから使わない方がいいよ。
= Kono jidou hanbaiki wa kowarete iru mitai dakara tsukawanai hou ga iiyo.
= It seems like this vending machine is broken so you shouldn’t use it.
🔸 Now let’s compare verb + みたい ( = mitai), verb +そう ( = sou) and verb +らしい (= rashii) here again.
みたい ( = mitai) can be used
1) to tell someone what you have heard “I heard~”
or
2) to express your opinion, or assumption based on what you have seen. “It looks like”/ “It seems like”
Ex. このりんごは腐っているみたいだ。
= Kono ringo wa kusatte iru mitaida.
1) I heard this apple is rotten.
or
2) It looks like this apple is rotten.
But そう ( = sou) is only used for things you have heard.
Ex. このりんごは腐っているそうだ。
= Kono ringo wa kusatte iru souda.
= I heard this apple is rotten.
らしい ( = rashii) is also used for things you have heard but you use it when you are uncertain if it is true.
Ex. このりんごは腐っているらしい。
= Kono ringo wa kusatte iru rashii.
= I heard this apple is rotten.
Please go check the lesson on らしい ( = rashii) if you want to learn more.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
Nian Nian先生、ありがとう！
= Nian Nian Sensei arigatou!
= Thank you, Nian Nian Sensei!
Nian Nian先生みたいな小さくてかわいい先生は今までいませんでしたね。
= Nian Nian sensei mitai na chiisakute kawaii sensei wa imamade imasen deshitane.
= We have never had a teacher this little or cute before.
また教えに来てくださいね。
= Mata oshieni kite kudasaine.
= Please come back to teach here.
***
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50 Comments
hello Maggie,
I’m a little confused on something.
in the first example 「今まで僕みたいなかわいい先生いた？」
why is : “noun + mitai な + adjective” used here? reading the post and following the rules of construction I thought it was supposed to be:
“noun + mitai に + adjective?” Am I seeing this wrong?
Hello Chrollo
Good question. You can also say 僕みたいにかわいい先生いた？
In that case 僕みたいに modifies かわいい
My original sentence might be a little confusing because it has かわいい.
僕みたいな actually modifies a noun “(かわいい）先生” a (cute) teacher
So 僕みたいな先生いた？ is the basic structure.
And you can add adjective
僕みたいな素敵な先生いた？
But when you just modifies an adjective, you use に
Nian Nian先生みたいにかわいい/素敵だ
I understand now thanks! I’m really grateful for your speedy reply,
Thanks again ^-^
My pleasure. :)
Hi.
Btw, may I ask, if I’m correct kanji’s only for nouns right, if so do you know who’s 宇多田ヒカル?
If yes, why’re there katakanas in that name?
Hi Arcob,
You use kanji not just for nouns. You use them for adjectives, verbs, adverbs…
And you use kanji, hiragana or katakana for your name.
FYI Her real name is in kanji 光（ひかる=hikaru). She uses katakana for her stage name.
Sensei.
if i write comments here, do i use sou or mitai? for example nian nian 先生可愛いみたいだ。
I heard that みたい is not used for writing.
ありがとうございます先生
Hi Kharisma
If you see NyanNyan Sensei and says she looks cute,
you don’t say
Ex. ニャンニャン先生はかわいいみたいだ。
You say かわいい
And if you heard NyanNyan Sensei is cute, you say
Ex. ニャンニャン先生は可愛いそうだ。
If you use みたい in the past tense does that mean the the “similarity” no longer is true? In other words, if you say, “かわいかったみたい”, then the person is no longer cute today?
Hello Jill
かわいかったみたい。= I heard she/he used to be cute. It states how cute that person used to be in past and it doesn’t mention the current state.
It changes the nuance depending on the particle as well.
If you say Ex. 彼女は昔もかわいかったみたい。It means she is cute now, too.
But if you say 彼女は昔はかわいかったみたい。 It insinuates she is no longer cute.
Hi!
You said that そう ( = sou) and らしい ( = rashii) are only used for things you have heard.
But in my 初級日本語文法総まとめ２０ポイント book, there’s this sentence:
田中さんは出かけたらしいです。留守番電話になっていましたから。
So does rashii have another use that’s similar to you/mitai? If it does, is there any difference between rashii and you? (I read from your blog that mitai is more colloquial than you)
2nd question is “Is rashii in this sentence natural? Like this use of rashii, is it common among native Japanese people?
よろしくお願いします、マ-ギ先生！
田中さんは出かけたらしいです。留守番電話になっていましたから。
Yes, it is a natural sentence and it is very common.
And yes, as I said, you use らしい based on the information of what you have heard/seen/read.
You can say
田中さんは出かけたようです。／出かけたみたいです。instead of 出かけたらしいです。
The meaning is the same.
maggie sensei!
なでなで
I’m trying to construct:
“Apparently, I’m not very good at [particles].” or,
“It’s seems that [particles] are not my strong point/specialty”
(ie. my Japanese exams/essays always come back with excessive particle error corrections – so this is me commenting on my own situation…)
So normally I would think, 助詞は私の得意じゃないらしい。
but a native told me that I cannot use ~らしい to talk about myself. (Is that true?)
So then can I use, 助詞は私の得意じゃないみたい。?
Or is there some other device to convey “It seems that…/Apparently…” about something about myself? Or, is this just an odd sentence that one wouldn’t find in Japanese?
Another example, Maggie-sensei is such a great teacher and so you receive a lot of positive feedback. So how would you, Maggie-sensei, say “[Apparently I’m]/[I seem to be] very popular” ?
Hi squidlydeux
Thank you for なでなで my head 🐶
First
助詞は私の得意じゃない → 私は助詞が得意じゃない
Or 私は助詞に弱い/ 助詞が苦手 is better. (There is also an expression that ~ は私の得意分野じゃない）
Your friend is right. You don’t use らしい when you talk about yourself.
However there are cases that you use らしい for yourself 1) when you see yourself objectively
2) When you are not aware of it but according to other people, 〜
Ex. (どうやら・どうも) 私は助詞が苦手らしい
(Note: どうやら・どうも = Apparently)
You can also say
Ex.(どうやら・どうも)私は助詞が苦手みたいだ。
Haha, I am embarrassed to translate the last sentence but you can use みたい・よう.
私は、とても人気があるようだ・みたいだ。
なんか、私ってすごく人気があるみたい。(more conversational) 😝
マギー先生すごい！ニャンニャン先生も！
丁寧に説明してくれてありがとうございます。
それでは、
Ex.
(どうやら)私は助詞が得意じゃないようだ･みたいだ。
(どうやら)助詞は私の得意分野じゃないようだ･みたいだ。
(どうやら)私はユーモアが得意じゃないようだ･みたいだ。
これらもいけますか。
はい。前のコメントに書いた通り自分を客観的に見ていうという場合はそういう言い方もできると思います。
ユーモアが得意
でも言えないことはありませんが「ユーモアのセンスがない」の方がよく使われます。
Hi Maggie-sensei
I am confused as to the difference between よう and みたい.
I was reading some example sentences, and I saw these:
彼は学生のような雰囲気ですね。
学生みたいです。
In the first one, it seems to me that it is uncertain whether the person is a student or not, only that he gives off a student-like atmosphere. However, which the second one, I read that it is implied that he only LOOKS like a student, but isn’t.
もう売り切れみたい。
However, with this sentence, it supposedly means that it may or may not be sold out. I do not understand how, in the first example, みたい can mean that he only looks like and is not (which is different from よう), but in the second example, みたい means the same thing as よう.
Hi Andreas,
Where did you see these example sentences? I thought I gave you these example sentence and looked for them but I can’t…
Maybe you saw them somewhere else. Anyway,
学生みたいです。You are right. You can’t tell just by this sentence whether it means 1) He looks like a student or 2) I heard he is a student.
もう売り切れみたい。could also mean 1) It looks like something is sold out.(the speaker’s judges from what he/she saw. 2) I heard it’s sold out.
You only can tell by the context.
Hello Maggie Sensei,
I´m reading your lesson and in the section
*verb + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adjective / adverb
The examples 3 seem to be noun + みたい and not verb + みたい… or am I understanding something wrongly?
Ex. Nian Nian先生(noun)みたいにかわいくなりたい。
Ex. このホテルはヨーロッパのお城(noun)みたいに美しい。
Ex. ネーティブ(moun)みたいにうまく発音できない。
Your lessons allways nicely explain the topic, thank you for your hard work.
Thank you for spotting the mistake. You are right. It should be “noun” + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + adjective / adverb
I fixed it. ありがとう！💕
WOW you are fast lol
I´m sorry to contact again, but the sentence construction Noun + みたい ( = mitai) + に is already explained in your point 1.:
1) like something / someone
:w: Noun + みたい ( = mitai) + に ( = ni) + verb / adjective / adverb + verb
Under the point 3. I understand you´re explaining the sentence construction with verb+ みたい ( = mitai) + に+ verb / adjective / adverb + verb , so now there are missing now examples for the construction
verb+ みたい ( = mitai) + に+ adjective / adverb + verb
… or such sentences are not actually common?
I´m sorry for being such bother -.-;;;;;;
Oh OK, let me take a look at the lesson. I will fix it later. ありがとう！
“Nian Nian先生みたいな小さくてかわいい先生は今までいませんでしたね。”
Regarding this sentence, does it mean they HAD found the teacher that looks like Nian Nian sensei? Or they hadn’t?
@Benny
“Nian Nian先生みたいな小さくてかわいい先生は今までいませんでしたね。”
As I wrote, it means we have never had this little and cute teacher like Nian Nian Sense (until now).
(But now we do!)
I see! But what if there hasn’t been any teacher who’s little and cute like Nian Nian sensei instead (we still don’t have one now), do we say: “Nian Nian先生みたいな小さくてかわいい先生は今までいません。”?
@Benny
I see your confusion now
Since we already had Nian Nian Sensei in this lesson, “we still don’t have one” context doesn’t work but
When you describe the state as present perfect you say
We haven’t had ~ until now (but we now have one) ~みたいな〜は今までいません
When you describe the state as past you say
We hadn’t had ~ until now ~みたいな〜は今までいなかった
To answer your question, let me change the example sentence.
***
In this blog, we have never had a guest teacher of elephant.
象の先生は今までいません。
なるほど。ありがとうございます！勉強になりました。
hi magie sensei !!
i just lernd the material to day !! n i quite don’t understand about this
verb+ mitai+ na+ noun!! like this exmple
Dezunii ni iru to otogibanashi no sekai ni iru mitai na kibun ni nareru.
can u explain me about kibun ni nareru?? i can’t understand when i tried to translate it without seeing the meaning!! so please for help
and please this one!!
yume no naka demo hataraiteiru mitai na ki ni naru.
why it use “ki ni naru”?
＠budi
Hi budi,
〜気になる ( ki ni naru) has many meanings but in this case it means “to feel like +Ving”
〜気分になる ( kibun ni naru) as well. (気分になれる is a potential form so it means ”to be able to feel like ~” )
oww!! kibun ni naru is potensial form?? how do we form like that?? i only know the potensial form just to add eru n rareru!! do u have lesson about this?? and can u explain me more abot adverb !!
Oji mitai ni jiyuu ni ikitai.
Konpyuutaa mitai ni seikaku ni keisan dekinai.
i’m wondering, why it use ni after jiyuu and seikaku??
@budi
~になる= to become
Check this lesson.
OK, you can make an adjective or an adverb with certain nouns by adding な / に
自由 = jiyuu = (noun) freedom
1) ＋な
自由な = free (adjective) free
2) +に
自由に= jiyuu ni = (adverb) freely
正確 = seikaku = (noun) accuracy
1) ＋な
正確な = seikaku na = accurate
2) +に
正確に= seikaku ni = (adverb) accurately
aaah!! thank u so much for explaination!! i really appreciate ur reaply!! i’ve studied about japan’s language on many site !! but only u the one who would like to answer my question!! arigatou maggie sansei
@budi
どういたしまして、budi! :)
maggie sensei please tell me using of 「なさそう」
＠karan
Did you see my そう lesson?
なさそう = it seems like there isn’t
For example you are looking for something and can’t seem to find it.
You say
ここにはなさそうだ。
= It seems like it is not here.
Ex. マギーはお金がなさそうだ。
= It seems like Maggie doesn’t have any money.
わかりました。。ありがとうございます
@Karan
どういたしまして。
This is one awesome article ! I really liked how you covered all kinds of usages of みたい. I was searching for this everywhere T_T.
I am reading よつばと！ manga and I came across this sentence:
ちゃんといつもみたいにぼんぼんってして。
If I understand this correctly, いつも is noun here and ぼんぼんってして the action /verb here ? Am I correct here Sensei ?
@Retra
Hi Retra,
Glad to hear you liked the lesson.
いつも= always (いつも is a noun but it works as an adverb as well)
みたいに= as / like
→いつもみたいに = as always / like you always do
ぼんぼんってして →ぼんぼん= onomatopoeia to modifies a verb, する, but in colloquial conversation you can think ぼんぼんってする as a verb.
It depends on the context but it could mean “pat on my head” You also say ポンポンする
Isshou no uchi, ichido wa faasuto
[kursau]—-> kurasu ni notte mitai naa
[ホホバ]オイルは敏感肌の人でも使えるオイルみたいです。
[Hohoba] oiru wa binkan hada no hito demo tsukaeru oiru mitai desu.
I heard [Jojoba] oil can be used by even those who have sensitive skin.
!koujichuu! why jojoba = Hohoba —> ホホバ !koujichuu! why not [ジョジョバ] 教えて下さい !happyface! !happyface!
@zoheb
Jojoba is originally a Spanish word. You pronounce Jo = ホ in Spanish. (Ex. Japón = ハポン )
@Maggie, yes. It means pat on my head. :) You are right. It’s from Yotsubato. ありがとう^_^
@Retra
Good!
You’re welcome! ❤️
Thanks! This lesson helped me understand this subject better. I just have one last doubt. If I am not mistaken, there is another expression that is similar to mitai: “something” ni mieru.
Is there any difference between mitai and ni mieru?
@reid
Hi reid,
As you see, there are many usages of みたい but one of the usages of みたい ( = mitai) is similar to にみえる(=mieru) but they are slightly different.
マギーはきれいみたい= I heard Maggie is beautiful
マギーはきれいにみえる= Maggie looks beautiful (to me).
**
マギーは豚みたい。= Maggie looks like a pig./ Maggie is like a pig./ Maggie behaves like a pig. (It could be my appearance but it also involves my behavior, the way I sound, etc.)
マギーは豚にみえる= Maggie looks like a pig. (It is only used to express how the speaker sees me.)
Sometimes we use them both.
〜みたいにみえる instead of saying ようにみえる = Looks like ~ / Seems like ~
彼女の隣にいるとお父さんみたいにみえるよ。
= You looks like her father if you are next to her.
What if we want to say “I heard (someone, let’s just use Tanaka here) Tanaka looks like a pig?”
Just wondering…
Hello
Would it mean different or is it wrong to say
まだお店やっているかなあ —> お店まだやっているかなあ
Thank you in advance
@Tamusan
Hi Tamusan,
Both of them are correct. :)
Wow this word has a lot of usage! I only knew “looks like~” and “to want to try something” like 行ってみたい. Thanks for the lesson I really enjoyed it :) very useful information!
@Courtney
Thank you for your comment. Good! I will add てみたい form in the lesson.