みたい

みたい means "it seems", "it looks like": a guess from what you can see, hear or feel. It goes straight after the plain form of a verb or い-adjective, and straight after a noun or な-adjective with nothing in between. It is casual; add です for polite speech, or だ in plain statements.

A noun or な-adjective takes no の, な or だ before みたい.

• × 手作りのみたい → 手作りみたい
• × 静かなみたい → 静かみたい

みたい or ようだ

ようだ means the same and belongs to writing and careful speech. In conversation, みたい is the usual word. ようだ also joins differently: a noun takes の and a な-adjective takes な.

みたい or らしい

らしい leans on what you heard or read: "apparently". みたい is your own impression, though in casual speech it also passes on a forecast or something you were told.

"Like", after a noun

After a noun, みたい can also mean "like": the thing resembles it. With まるで in front, only this reading is left. Before another noun the form is みたいな, and before a verb or adjective みたいに.