みたい(だ) — Seems like / Looks like (casual inference)
A casual expression of inference, usually based on what you can see or otherwise sense. Where ようだ suits formal writing, みたい is the everyday spoken version.
Structure
[Plain form / Noun / な-adj (no だ)] + みたい(だ)
Examples
あの二人、付き合っているみたい。
Ano futari, tsukiatte iru mitai.
It looks like those two are dating.
付き合っている + みたい = inference from what you observe
外はけっこう寒いみたいだよ。
Soto wa kekkou samui mitai da yo.
It seems pretty cold outside.
寒い (i-adj) + みたいだ = inference
その映画、すごく面白いみたいよ。
Sono eiga, sugoku omoshiroi mitai yo.
That movie seems really interesting.
面白い + みたい = judgment from indirect evidence (reviews)
• Noun rule: unlike much N4 grammar, みたい attaches directly to a bare noun with no な or の (子供みたい = like a child). • みたい behaves like a な-adjective: みたいに is the adverb form, みたいな is the noun-modifying form.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones みたい(だ) is tested against.
vs ようだ
Same meaning, but ようだ is more formal/written; みたい is casual and spoken. ようだ attaches to nouns with の (子供のよう) while みたい attaches directly (子供みたい).
vs らしい
らしい leans on outside information/hearsay ('I hear that...'); みたい leans on your own direct sensory impression ('it looks like...').
vs そう (〜そうだ, appearance)
〜そう predicts from surface look before the fact (おいしそう = looks tasty); みたい judges that something is likely already the case from evidence.
More hearsay & conjecture
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