みたいに
Like, Similar to, Resembling
Structure
Noun + みたいに + Verb(1)
Noun(2) + みたいな + Noun
(1) Adverb、［い］Adjective、［な］Adjective
(2) Verb
Explanation
As you may recall, みたい functions as a な-Adjective. This allows it to modify both nouns and verbs, always conveying a sense of 'being like (A)' or 'similar to (A)'. You can tell whether it's modifying a noun or a verb by what follows it: な is used for nouns, while に is used for verbs. Let's examine some sentences to see this in action.
- アイドルみたいに踊りたい。I want to dance like an idol.
- お父さんみたいになりたい。I want to be like my dad.
- お父さんみたいな人になりたい。I want to become a person like my dad.
- 京都みたいな町に住みたい。I want to live in a town like Kyoto.
It's crucial to understand this distinction, because the word being modified by みたい may not appear immediately after it in the sentence.
- 彼女は鳥みたいに空を飛びたいと言っている。She is saying that she wants to fly in the sky like a bird.
- 彼女は鳥みたいに、自由に空を飛びたいと言っている。She is saying that she wants to fly freely in the sky like a bird.
In the second example sentence, we can see that 飛ぶ (the verb that に is linked to), does not actually come until later in the sentence. This kind of separation is very common, particularly in more complex sentences.
Caution
Although みたい means 'like' or 'resembles' and often relates to appearances, it is different from 見たい, which means 'want to see'. Because みたい is not written with kanji, learners frequently mix these two up.
Examples
私は父みたいになりたい。
I want to become like my father.
あれは犬みたいな雲です。
That is a dog-like cloud.
鳥みたいに空を飛びたい。
I want to fly in the sky like a bird.
紙みたいに軽くて運びやすい。
It's light and easy to carry, just like paper.
スポーツカーみたいな車に乗りたい。
I want to ride in a car like a sports car.
ガラスみたいに壊れやすい。
It's fragile, just like glass.
ケーキを飲み物みたいに食べた。
He ate the cake as if it were a drink.
赤ちゃんみたいに泣いた。
The child cried like a baby.
今日は夏みたいな暑さですね。
It's hot like summer today, isn't it?
ネイティブみたいに、英語がペラペラになりたい。
I want to become fluent in English, just like a native speaker.
うちの犬は人間みたいに寝ます。
My dog sleeps like a human.