みたいなmitai na“like; similar to”

みたいな (mitai na) means “like ~” or “~-like” in front of a noun. It is a JLPT N4 pattern of casual Japanese: 夢みたいな話 — “a story like a dream,” “too good to be true.”

みたいな is one form of the word みたい. It behaves like a な-adjective: みたいだ ends a sentence, みたいな describes a noun, and みたいに describes a verb or adjective. This lesson covers the noun-describing form, the one you use for comparisons (“a voice like a cat’s”) and examples (“big cities like Tokyo”).

みたいな sits between two nouns: the thing you compare to, then the thing you are describing. 子どもみたいな人 — “a person like a child.”

What does みたいな mean?

The pattern is A みたいな B: “a B that is like A.” It has three common uses.

• Resemblance (simile): 雪みたいな白い花 — white flowers like snow. B is not A; it just looks or feels like A.
• Examples: 東京みたいな大きい町 — big cities like Tokyo (Tokyo is one of them).
• Guess from appearance: 病気みたいな顔をしている — he looks as if he’s ill.

The first two are the core N4 uses. In all of them, みたいな turns the phrase before it into a description of the noun after it.

How to form みたいな

Attach みたいな directly to a noun, with no の or だ in between. It can also follow the plain form of a verb or い-adjective. A noun always follows.

The same word changes its ending by position, exactly like a な-adjective:

• ホテルみたいだ — (it’s) like a hotel. (sentence end)
• ホテルみたいな部屋 — a room like a hotel. (before a noun)
• ホテルみたいにきれいだ — clean like a hotel. (before a verb or adjective)

In casual speech, the sentence-end form often drops だ: ホテルみたい！

When is みたいな used?

• Everyday comparisons: 映画みたいな景色, 子どもみたいな人, 石みたいに固いパン.
• Giving examples of a type: 山田さんみたいな人が必要です — “We need someone like Mr Yamada.”
• Describing sounds, smells and looks: 猫みたいな声, 焦げたみたいな匂い.
• Young people’s speech: at the end of a quoted thought, みたいな means “like, …”: 「もう無理！」みたいな — “like, ‘I can’t do this anymore!’”

みたいな is spoken and casual. In essays, reports and formal speeches, use ような instead, which has the same meaning.

みたいな example sentences

In every example a noun follows みたいな: 話, こと, 町, 景色, 声, 顔. If no noun follows, you need みたいだ or みたいに instead.

Nuance of みたいな

The key question is whether A is a B or only resembles one. 東京みたいな大きい町 can mean “Tokyo and cities like it” (Tokyo is included), while 夢みたいな話 clearly means “a story that feels like a dream” (it isn’t a dream). Context decides, and learners rarely go wrong here because the meaning is usually obvious.

みたいな also carries a casual, conversational colour. It is warm and natural with friends, and fine in polite speech with です／ます. It sounds out of place in writing that aims to be formal, such as a job application or an essay, where ような is expected.

When みたいな follows a clause, as in 泣いているみたいな声, it drifts toward guessing: “a voice that sounds as if someone is crying.” That is the same judgement you make with みたいだ at the end of a sentence (泣いているみたいだ, “it seems someone is crying”).

💡 No の: ような needs の after a noun (夢のような). みたいな does not (夢みたいな). Mixing them up is the most common error with this pattern.

みたいな vs ような

These two mean the same thing. They differ in how they attach to nouns and in register.

In conversation, みたいな is the default. When you write, switch to ような and remember to add の after nouns. Reading passages on the JLPT mostly use ような, and dialogue in the listening section mostly uses みたいな.

Common mistakes with みたいな

Is みたいな on the JLPT?

A typical blank: 雪（　）白い. The next word 白い is an adjective, so the answer is みたいに. In 雪（　）花, a noun follows, so it is みたいな.

Practice questions for みたいな

Learning path for みたいな

Related grammar to review next

• みたいだ — the sentence-ending form: “it seems” or “it’s like.”
• みたいに — the adverb form, used before verbs and adjectives: 子どもみたいに笑う.
• ように / ような — the formal equivalent; add の after nouns.
• らしい — “typically ~” after nouns, a meaning みたいな doesn’t have.

Learn みたいな with Hane

Hane drills みたいな, みたいに and みたいだ in the same sessions, so the right ending comes out before you have to think. Practise N4 comparisons in Hane.