みたいな
みたいな
expression
like; such as; something like
1.
like; such as
Used to give examples or make comparisons, similar to 'like' in casual English.
彼みたいな人が好き。
I like people like him.
「無理」みたいなことを言われた。
They said something like "impossible."
夏みたいな天気だね。
The weather is like summer, isn't it?
映画みたいな景色が広がっていて、思わず写真を撮った。
A scene like something out of a movie spread out before me, and I couldn't help taking a photo.
子どもみたいな笑顔で嬉しそうに走ってきた。
They came running over happily with a childlike smile.
2.
or something like that
Used at the end of sentences to soften or hedge a statement.
カフェでお茶する、みたいな。
Like, having tea at a café, or something.
Sentence-final hedging
明日、みたいな。
Like, tomorrow, or something.
Vague hedging about timing
ちょっと疲れた、みたいな感じ。
It's like, I'm a bit tired, or something like that.
来週から本気で頑張る、みたいなことを言っていた。
He was saying something like he'd start trying hard from next week.
別にいいけど、みたいな態度を取られると困る。
It's troublesome when someone acts with an attitude like "I don't really care."
みたいな is the colloquial attributive form of みたいだ, used to make comparisons or soften statements. Very common in everyday spoken Japanese.
SENSE 1 — COMPARISON:
Noun + みたいな + noun: "like ~"
- 映画みたいな景色: scenery like something out of a movie
- 子どもみたいな笑顔: a childlike smile
SENSE 2 — HEDGING:
Statement + みたいな: "...or something like that"
- 明日、みたいな: like, tomorrow, or something
Softens statements and avoids sounding too definitive. Similar to English filler "like."
FORMAL EQUIVALENTS:
- ような/ように: the formal written equivalent
- 〜のような: more polished comparison
Overuse of みたいな as a filler is sometimes criticized as sloppy speech, similar to overusing "like" in English.