まるで…ようだ【まるで～ようだ】

The pattern まるで…ようだ is used to make vivid comparisons or similes, expressing that something appears, feels, or seems just like or as if it were something else. まるで adds emphasis to the comparison, making it stronger and more dramatic than using ようだ alone.

Basic Usage

まるで appears at the beginning of or within the clause, and ようだ comes at the end to complete the comparison.

• まるで + Noun + の + ようだ

  かのじょ彼女のはだ肌はまるでゆき雪のようだ。

  Her skin is just like snow.

• まるで + Verb (plain form) + ようだ

  まるでゆめをみている夢を見ているようだ。

  It's as if I'm dreaming.

• まるで + い-adjective + ようだ

  まるでさむい寒いふゆ冬にもどった戻ったようだ。

  It's as though we've gone back to a cold winter.

Modifying Nouns and Verbs

When modifying a noun, use ような + Noun:

When modifying a verb (describing how something is done), use ように + Verb:

Polite and Past Forms

ようだ conjugates like a na-adjective:

• Polite: ようです
• Past: ようだった / ようでした

まるで…みたいだ

In casual speech, みたいだ is used instead of ようだ with the same meaning.

Nuance

まるで without ようだ or みたいだ sounds incomplete. The two work as a pair. The combination implies that the comparison is **not literally true** – it emphasizes that something only *resembles* or *feels like* something else.