What it means
みたいな is the attributive form of みたいだ. It follows a noun or a plain clause and modifies a following noun, expressing that something resembles the noun or appears to have the described situation. It often means “like,” “similar to,” or “the kind of ... that seems ...,” and the comparison is usually based on appearance, impression, or an incomplete judgment rather than certainty. The form is common in everyday Japanese and can appear inside an otherwise polite sentence.
Usage note
みたいな is relatively informal, so ような is usually preferred in formal writing. Do not confuse attributive みたいな with the sentence-ending form みたいだ or its polite form みたいです.
How to use it
これは星みたいな形です。
This is a shape like a star.
子どもが笑っているみたいな声です。
This is a voice that sounds like a child is laughing.
これは星みたいな形だ。
This is a shape like a star.
子どもが笑っているみたいな声だ。
This is a voice that sounds like a child is laughing.