みたい

suffix, na-adjective

like, similar to, -ish

informalspokengrammatical

1. like, similar to, resembling

Attaches to nouns, verbs (plain form), and adjectives to express resemblance or likeness. More casual than よう.

子供(こども)みたいだ。

It's like a child. / How childish.

夢(ゆめ)みたいな話(はなし)だね。

That's a dream-like story, isn't it.

あの二人(ふたり)は兄弟(きょうだい)みたいに仲(なか)がいい。

Those two get along like siblings.

2. it seems, it looks like, apparently

Expresses conjecture or inference based on what the speaker observes or perceives. Similar to ようだ but more colloquial.

雨(あめ)が降(ふ)るみたいだ。

It looks like it's going to rain.

彼(かれ)はもう帰(かえ)ったみたい。

It seems he's already gone home.

電車(でんしゃ)が遅(おく)れているみたいで、駅(えき)が混(こ)んでいた。

The trains seemed to be delayed, so the station was crowded.

Common patterns

みたい attaches directly to nouns, plain-form verbs, and adjectives:

Noun + みたい: 猫(ねこ)みたい (like a cat)
Verb + みたい: 泣(な)いているみたい (seems to be crying)
い-adjective + みたい: 楽(たの)しいみたい (seems fun)
な-adjective + みたい: 静(しず)かみたい (seems quiet)

As a modifier, みたい takes な before nouns and に before verbs and adjectives:

映画(えいが)みたいな話(はなし) (a story like a movie)
嘘(うそ)みたいに安(やす)い (unbelievably cheap)

Watch out

Nouns and な-adjectives take みたい directly, with no な or だ: 静(しず)かみたい, not 静(しず)かなみたい. With a noun, the two senses can overlap: 子供(こども)みたい can mean "like a child" or "it seems to be a child"; context decides.

Similar words

よう(だ): the standard equivalent, preferred in writing and formal speech. In casual conversation みたい is far more natural.
らしい: "apparently," often based on hearsay rather than one's own observation

Related Words

Related: よう (formal equivalent)

general

Added 2026.2.10 9:31 · Revised 2026.10.11 16:05

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