～みたい

きょうは あたたかくて、まるで はる（ ）です。
a. そう b. みたい c. よう d. らしい

It is warm today and is as if it were a spring day (although it is not).

The correct answer is b. みたい。

みたい is often used together with まるで and まるで～みたい means “as if … were ～. “

a. そう has the meaning of “it seems…” However, it cannot be used directly after a noun.

c. よう is OK if の is used in front of it.

d. らしい is almost OK if the sentence doesn’t have まるで. As らしい is used for “conjecture,” and it is not usually used with まるで which is used for a “metaphor.”

～みたいだ can be used at the end of a sentence (although in a casual conversation, the last だ is often skipped) and ～みたいな in front of a noun. If ～みたい is describing something other than a noun, it’s used in the form of ～みたいに.

～みたい usually shows one of the following 3 meanings.

[expressing similarity] just like ～

きょうは はる みたいだ。
Today is just like spring.

いぬ みたいな ねこを かっている。
I have a cat which is just like a dog.

ケーキみたいな和菓子わがしを食たべた。
I ate a Japanese confectionery which was just like a Western cake.

ただ～みたいに やすいね。
It is so cheap like being almost free.

またヨーロッパにいけるなんて、ゆめみたい（だ）。
It feels just like a dream that I can go to Europe again.

[uncertain assertion] looks as if ～

あしたは あめ みたいだ。
It seems it will rain tomorrow.

あの こうさてんで じこが あったみたいだよ。
It seems there has been an accident at that intersection.

この みせは へいてんに なる みたいだよ。
It seems this shops closes soon.

For more study material for JLPT N4 exam, please visit JLPT N4 Grammar and Vocab and JLPT N4 Kanji pages.