How to Say ‘Like; similar to’ in Japanese
みたいな
mitai na
[mitai na]
💬 Usage Tip: [みたいな] means "like" or "similar to," and follows a noun directly: [家族みたいな], [友だちみたいな]. In speech it feels casual and conversational.
Phrase Breakdown
みたい
mitai
[mitai]
like; similar to
An informal expression used to compare one thing to another.
家族みたい な雰囲気でした。
It had a family-like atmosphere.
な
na
[na]
attributive marker
Links a noun-like expression to the noun that follows, like 'such as' or 'like'.
家族みたいな 関係ですね。
It is a relationship like family.
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