What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the particle ように (yō ni), which means "in the manner of" and the verb 見える (mieru), which means "to be visible" or "to appear".
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to express resemblance depending on the intensity and tone. Use そっくり to emphasize a very strong resemblance, such as when someone is the spitting image of another. For a more casual, everyday way to say "to resemble", you can use 似てる. For a colloquial, conversational alternative to the standard phrase, you can use みたいに見える.
How does it change in a sentence?
The way you connect the phrase depends on what you are comparing it to. When comparing something to a noun, you must add the particle の (no) before ように, following the pattern [Noun] + のように見える. When describing an appearance based on an action or a state, you use the dictionary form of a verb or an adjective directly before ように見える.
How do you pronounce it?
yō ni mieru
Did you know?
- When describing a familial resemblance, using ように見える can imply that you are merely guessing, whereas 似ている is used to state a biological fact.
- While ように見える describes a subjective impression, the verb 見える is a spontaneous verb, meaning it describes things that enter the vision without any effort from the observer.
- In casual conversation, Japanese speakers often drop the verb entirely and simply say みたい to mean 'looks like'.
Examples in context
- この絵は彼の作品に似ています。This painting resembles his artwork.
- 彼女はお母さんに似ています。She looks like her mother.
- 彼女は母親とそっくりですね。She looks exactly like her mother.
- 彼の新しい車は私の車とそっくりです。His new car looks just like mine.
- この写真の猫、あなたの猫に似てるね。This cat in the picture looks like your cat.
- この本と私が持っている本が似てる。This book looks like the one I have.
- この雲は猫のように見える。Kono kumo wa neko no you ni mieru.This cloud looks like a cat.
- 彼は疲れているように見える。Kare wa tsukarete iru you ni mieru.He looks like he is tired.
- その絵は本物のように見える。Sono e wa honmono no you ni mieru.That painting looks like the real thing.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a strange-looking fruit in a market.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの果物は星のように見えるね。Kono kudamono wa hoshi no you ni mieru ne.This fruit looks like a star, doesn't it?
- 陽葵 Himari本当に！すごく綺麗だよ。Hontou ni! Sugoku kirei da yo.Really! It is very beautiful.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵、食べてみる？Himari, tabete miru?Himari, do you want to try eating it?
- 陽葵 Himariいいよ、美味しそうだね。Ii yo, oishisou da ne.Sure, it looks delicious.
