What it means
みたいだ expresses the speaker’s impression that something seems to be a certain way or appears to be true. It can follow a noun, a na-adjective stem, an i-adjective, or a plain-form verb. It is often based on what the speaker sees, hears, or otherwise infers, so it usually sounds less certain than a direct statement. The polite counterpart is みたいです.
Usage note
みたいだ is a plain-style ending, while みたいです is its polite counterpart. Do not confuse it with みたいな, which modifies a following noun, or みたいに, which modifies a verb or describes manner.
How to use it
田中さんは先生みたいです。
Tanaka seems to be a teacher.
この部屋は静かみたいです。
This room seems quiet.
その料理は辛いみたいです。
That dish seems spicy.
来週、雪が降るみたいです。
It seems that it will snow next week.
田中さんは先生みたいだ。
Tanaka seems to be a teacher.
この部屋は静かみたいだ。
This room seems quiet.
その料理は辛いみたいだ。
That dish seems spicy.
来週、雪が降るみたいだ。
It seems that it will snow next week.
Example sentences
窓の外が明るいので、雨はもうやんだみたいです。
Since it is bright outside the window, it seems that the rain has already stopped.
空が暗い。もうすぐ雨が降るみたいだ。
The sky is dark. It seems that it will rain soon.
電気がついているので、父はまだ会社にいるみたいです。
Since the lights are on, it seems that my father is still at work.
この箱は思