かのように / かのようだ | Grammar

Structure

[verb (plain)] + かのように [i-adj] + かのように [na-adj] + である + かのように [noun] + である / だった + かのように [verb (plain)] + かのようだ [verb (plain)] + かのような + [noun]

Description

かのように means "as if" and describes how something is done: the action looks like it belongs to a situation that isn't real. It follows the plain form of a verb or an い-adjective, and a noun or な-adjective takes である, or だった for the past.

。

He acted as if he didn't know anything.

。

She was smiling as if nothing had happened.

。

He played the piano as if he were a professional.

in front makes the comparison stronger.

。

It was so quiet, it was as if time had stopped.

Nouns and な-adjectives take である

The の or な that a noun or な-adjective takes before ように does not work before かのように.

。

She was talking as if she were famous.

× 有名人のかのように → 有名人であるかのように
× 元気なかのように → 元気であるかのように

かのように or ように

A clause with ように can describe something that really is so: "as". かのように always describes something that is not so, or that the speaker doesn't believe.

、。

As the teacher said, the exam was hard.

It really was.

。

He was laughing as if the exam had been easy.

It wasn't.

At the end of a sentence the same holds against ようだ, which can also be a guess from what you see: "it seems". かのようだ only compares, and adds that the comparison is not literally true.

。

He doesn't seem to know anything.

A guess: he probably doesn't.

。

He looked as if he knew nothing.

He did know.

Usage notes

These go beyond describing how something is done.

かのようだ at the end of a sentence

かのようだ ends the sentence: "it is as if". It conjugates like だ, so the past is かのようだった. Nouns and な-adjectives still take である: ×夢のかのようだ.

。

It's as if time has stopped.

。

It was as if it were a dream.

かのような before a noun

かのような describes the noun that follows.

。

It was so quiet, it was as if time had stopped.

。

She talked as if she knew everything.

Register

かのように belongs to writing, narration and careful speech. In conversation the same comparison is みたいに, みたいだ or みたいな, usually with まるで.

。

He was as happy as a child.

。

It was like a dream.

Examples

。

She was smiling as if nothing had happened.

。

The children were running around as if they could fly.

。

He speaks as if he knows everything.

。

It was a cold day, as if winter had come.

。

She made a face as though she were meeting me for the first time.

。

That dog was staring at me as if it were a human.

。

He is behaving as if he is not at fault.

。

She speaks Japanese fluently as if she were Japanese.

、。

The teacher explained once more as if the students hadn't understood anything.

。

He was depressed as if it were the end of the world.

。

That cat was sitting on the sofa as if it were the master of the house.

。

It was as if it were a dream.

、。

The way he talked, you'd think he knew everything.

。

There was a silence as if time had stopped.

References

かのようだBunpro