まるで
- 1Emphasizes how strongly something resembles something else.Ex. 1
- 2With a negative predicate, means “not at all.”Ex. 3
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
Verb (plain form)The plain (non-ます) forms of a verb: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
行く・行かない・行った・行かなかった
The dictionary form is only one of these: 行く.
i-adj. (plain form)The plain (non-です) forms of an i-adjective: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
高い・高くない・高かった・高くなかった
The dictionary form is only one of these: 高い. The polite version adds です to the plain form.
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
na-adj. stemA na-adjective without な, i.e. the form listed in a dictionary.
静か・きれい・好き
Add な before a noun (静かな部屋); as a predicate, follow it with だ／です (静かだ).
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
na-adj. stemA na-adjective without な, i.e. the form listed in a dictionary.
静か・きれい・好き
Add な before a noun (静かな部屋); as a predicate, follow it with だ／です (静かだ).
Verb (plain form)The plain (non-ます) forms of a verb: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
行く・行かない・行った・行かなかった
The dictionary form is only one of these: 行く.
i-adj. (plain form)The plain (non-です) forms of an i-adjective: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
高い・高くない・高かった・高くなかった
The dictionary form is only one of these: 高い. The polite version adds です to the plain form.
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
PredicateThe part of a sentence that says what the subject is, what it is like, or what it does. In Japanese it usually comes at the end.
私は学生だ：学生だ・空が青い：青い・雨が降る：降る
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Neutral in register, まるで is used in speech and writing to make a resemblance vivid. It commonly appears with ようだ or みたいだ, but can also precede a noun directly followed by だ.
Do not assume a simile with まるで requires ようだ or みたいだ; まるで＋名詞＋だ is also possible.
Note that the “not at all” sense requires a negative predicate.
- 1.ように/ようなN3「ように／ような」attaches to a noun + の or a verb to make a simile, and the sentence stands fine without まるで; the two are often used together but cannot be swapped. It can also mark examples and “just as…” — two uses that never take まるで.
- 2.みたいだN4「みたいだ」is an auxiliary verb that can express a simile on its own and can also express conjecture (“it seems like”); it is colloquial. まるで is an adverb placed in front to intensify the simile and often pairs with 「みたいだ」; it does not express conjecture and can also stress “completely.”
- 3.みたいに/みたいなN4「みたいに／みたいな」follows a word to form a simile, while まるで goes in front to strengthen the tone; the two often pair up but are not interchangeable. 「みたいに／みたいな」is colloquial and can mark examples, which まるで cannot; まるで instead emphasizes degree.
- 4.ようだN4「ようだ」is an auxiliary verb attached after words and phrases that, besides similes, can express conjecture (“it seems”); まるで is a preposed adverb that intensifies the simile, often echoing 「ようだ」, and can also mean “completely.” The two differ in part of speech and cannot be swapped.
- 5.さもN1「さも」is literary and mostly describes people's expressions, speech, or behavior, often implying something is “put on” and carrying a sarcastic tone. It must pair with 「かのように」「そうに」and the like; it cannot make objective similes or emphasize degree (you cannot say さも違う).
- 6.んばかりにN1「んばかりに」attaches to a verb's negative stem and is strongly literary, meaning “as if about to perform the action,” often as 「と言わんばかりに」. まるで, by contrast, is an adverb: its comparisons are not limited to actions, its register is neutral, and it can also emphasize degree.
- 7.かのようだ / かのようにN2「かのようだ」 likens things to a hypothetical situation, often with a contrary-to-fact feel (何も知らないかのように振る舞う); it is literary and often paired with 「まるで」.
ようだ, みたいだ, ように/ような, and みたいに/みたいな express comparisons that まるで can emphasize. さも emphasizes an apparent manner, while んばかりに presents an action as though it were about to happen.
