Table of Contents
Intro
Today we will go over the difference between みたいだ, みたいな, and みたいに.
Let’s start with みたいだ. As you can see all these grammar points start out with みたい which means “seems like” or “looks like.” We will break down the differences in nuance when you want to use みたい in a sentence and that means looking at the particle that follows みたい.
If you don’t remember, particles are small, one hiragana words that show the relationship between other words in the sentence. They can sometimes act as prepositions. Using these particles after みたい will allow us to use it in different parts of the sentence.
Simple put, みたいだ follows a noun to describe it, みたいな precedes a noun to describe it, and みたいに precedes an adjective or verb. Let’s dig in and learn more about how each of these work.
Meaning of みたいだ
The word みたい simply means “looks like,” “seems like,” or “it’s like.” For instance, when it is unseasonably cold outside, despite it being July you could say, “It’s like winter.” This is a common way to say metaphors in Japanese.
Examples of using みたいだ in a sentence
Sentence starts at 10:34
みたいだ always follows a noun.
In this example, みたいだ follows a noun to mean “It looks like a Noun.” In this case, the couple is looking at some lights, which reminds the character of an aquarium, so she says “It looks like an aquarium.”
Let’s take a look at another example sentence for みたいだ:
Sentence starts at 5:11
The function of だ at the end of みたい is the shortened version of the copula です, which functions as “is/am” in this sentence. So you could also say みたいです, which holds the same meaning but is a little more formal.
On the other hand, you can omit だ entirely for a more casual sentence.
Meaning of みたいな
When we add な onto the end of みたい the expression then functions as an adjective. This means we can use みたい to modify a noun. For instance, if you are describing the taste of something, you can say X みたいな 味 (あじ ) or “tastes like X.”
Examples of using みたいな in a sentence
Sentence starts at 8:48
In this case, we want to say that the “thing” or もの in this sentence is “like” a soup. We can’t simply tack on みたい before the noun, so we use な to show it is acting as an adjective, describing the noun もの or “thing.” So みたいなもの means “a thing like.”
Take a look at another example:
Sentence starts at 2:44
In this case, みたい attaches to “crepe” so we are saying “like a crepe” which then turns into an adjective with the addition of な so we can modify the noun 食べ物 meaning “food.” So クレープみたいな食べ物 means “food like crepes.”
You will often see みたいな used to describe things that people aren’t sure of. This is a way of describing something, but with a sense of vagueness to it. This is why we often see みたいな used with もの or こと, which both mean “thing.” So みたいなもの or みたいなこと means “things like.”
Meaning of みたいに
Lastly, みたいに acts as an adverb so that we can modify another verb or an adjective. For instance, if you want to say “Speak like a Japanese person” you would be changing the verb “to speak” which is 話す (はなす). So you would say: 日本人みたいに話す.
Examples of using みたいに in a sentence
Sentence starts at 6:46
In this case, we want to modify the adjective 狭い which means “small” or “narrow.” To do this we need to use the particle に after みたい to say, “It (doesn’t) look like it is narrow.” This can also be used to modify verbs in the same way.
Now let's take a look at an example using a verb after みたいに:
Sentence starts at 1:26:20
In this sentence, we can see that みたい comes after takoyaki (grilled octopus in dough) so it means “like takoyaki,” and we can add the に to be able to attach it to the verb 焼く which means “to grill.” So our sentence becomes たこ焼きみたいに焼く or “grilled like takoyaki.”
Conclusion
By comparing these uses of みたい you will be able to use them in any part of a sentence to convey your meaning. Take a look at the following table to sum up the differences:
If you need to look at more example sentences, check out hayailearn.com. There, you can search for a word or grammar point on the website and get access to YouTube videos where the word is being used. This will let you see the word or grammar point in context, in ways that real Japanese people use it. Seeing and hearing each concept in real-world media will not only allow you to understand its usage, it will also help you remember it more effectively.
Once you get these grammar points down, you will be taking another step toward Japanese fluency. So keep practicing and have fun learning!