GRAMMAR DETAIL

～みたいだ

seem like; look like

Follows a noun or plain form to express resemblance or an informal inference.

Examples

あの人は昔の友達みたいだ。

That person looks like an old friend.

夕焼けの雲が大きな鳥みたいです。

The clouds in the sunset look like a huge bird.

Structure: A noun, na-adjective stem, plain verb, or plain i-adjective is followed by みたいだ.
Basic usage: 大きな鳥みたいです describes an appearance resembling a large bird.

Resemblance and inference
- 鳥みたいな雲 describes a cloud's resemblance, while 雨が降るみたいだ expresses an informal inference that it will rain. Distinguish a comparison from a judgment about a situation.
What follows
- A following noun takes な, as in 鳥みたいな雲; a following verb takes に, as in 鳥みたいに飛ぶ. This differs from the verb expression 見たい, meaning wanting to see.