HomeGrammarJLPT N1Noun のごとき Noun (A no gotoki B)

Noun のごとき Noun (A no gotoki B)

JLPT N1

Explanation

Expresses 'like' or 'as if'; something/someone resembles something else strongly.

Formation

Detailed explanation

The のごとき pattern is used to convey the concept of 'just like' or 'as if'. The comparison here is strong, indicating that the thing/person is very similar to or almost the same as the thing/person compared to. It is a bit archaic and thus is more often found in writings than in everyday conversation.

Examples

Kare wa kami no gotoki sonzai da.

He is an existence like a god.

Kanojo no utsukushisa wa hana no gotoki mono da.

Her beauty is like a flower.

Kare wa akuma no gotoki koudou o shita.

He acted like a devil.

Kono chiho wa haru no gotoki kiko da.

This region has a climate like spring.

Practice

Grammar content sourced from hanabira.org.