ように (Similarity) Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Auxiliary な-Adjective
Essential Meaning: As X / Like X / Similarly to X / As if X were the case
Construction:
- (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + ように
- E.g. 話すように [As X speaks / As if X speaks]
- E.g. 食べるように [As X eats / As if X speaks]
- な-Adjective Stem + [な / だった] + ように
- E.g. 静かなように [As X is quiet / As if X were quiet]
- Noun + [の / だった] + ように
- E.g. 先生のように [As X is a teacher / As if X were a teacher]
Notes:
- ように (Similarity) is an adverbial form of ようだ. ように (Similarity) expresses similarity in terms of appearance, manner, ability, et cetera.
- E.g. 上田さんのように走れますか。[Can you run like Mr. Ueda runs?]
- E.g. 兄がスポーツが上手なように弟も上手だ。[Just as the older brother is good at sports, the younger brother is good at sports too.]
- ように (Similarity) can be used counterfactually to express the idea of “As if X were Y” or “As if X had Y“.
- E.g. まるで生き返ったように元気になった。[He recovered as if he had risen from the dead.]
- E.g. あの子はまるで大人のように話す。[That child speaks as if he were an adult.]
Example Sentences:
私が言うように書いてください。[Please write it down just as I tell you.]
今日は春になったように暖かい。[Today is warm as if has become spring.]
ドロシーは日本人のように日本語を話す。[Dorothy speaks Japanese as if she were a Japanese person.]
前に話したように私は会社をやめます。[As I told you before, I am quitting the company.]
上田さんのように走れますか。[Can you run like Mr. Ueda runs?]
若い時のようには元気がなくなった。[I am not as healthy as I was when I was young.]
土井さんはいつものように朝六時に起きた。[Doi-san woke up at 6 AM as usual.]
兄がスポーツが上手なように弟も上手だ。[Just as the older brother is good at sports, the younger brother is good at sports too.]
猫がかわいいように犬もかわいい。[Dogs are cute, just like cats.]
WILD Examples:
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