Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
As if; just like; completely; totally.
🎯 Primary Function
To strongly emphasize that something is strikingly similar to or exactly the same as something else, or to stress the absolute nature of a state (total/complete).
📋 Grammar Structure
まるで + [Plain Verb/Noun] + の/か/よう/みたいだ
まるで + [い-Adj] + ようだ/みたいだ
まるで + [な-Adj stem] + な + ようだ/みたいだ
まるで + [Negative Form] (V/Adj)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used, especially when paired with formal expressions like 「かのようだ」 (ka no yō da).
Informal Situations
Very common, often paired with the more colloquial 「みたいだ」 (mitai da).
Written Language
Common in descriptive passages, literature, and news reporting for vivid comparisons.
Spoken Language
Frequent use to make conversations more expressive and descriptive.
💡 Common Applications
Strong Comparison and Similarity
The most common use is to draw a vivid and strong comparison, often bordering on hyperbole, requiring a comparative marker like ようだ or みたいだ.
Example: まるで夢のようだ。 (Marude yume no yō da. – It’s just like a dream.)
Expressing Totality or Completeness
Used to emphasize the absolute nature of a state, particularly when expressing failure, futility, or extreme change. In this case, the comparative marker may be omitted.
Example: まるでダメだ。 (Marude dame da. – It’s completely useless.)
Frequency
High frequency in both formal and informal communication.
Difficulty
Intermediate (JLPT N3)
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Example Sentences
Example #1
彼の話し方はまるで先生のようだ。
Furigana: かれのはなしかたはまるでせんせいのようだ。
Romaji: Kare no hanashikata wa marude sensei no yō da.
English: The way he speaks is just like a teacher.
Example #2
彼女はまるで何も起こらなかったかのように振る舞った。
Furigana: かのじょはまるでなにもおこらなかったかのようにつきあった。
Romaji: Kanojo wa marude nani mo okoranakatta ka no yō ni furumatta.
English: She behaved as if nothing had happened.
Example #3
今日はまるで夏みたいに暑いね。
Furigana: きょうはまるでなつみたいにあついね。
Romaji: Kyō wa marude natsu mitai ni atsui ne.
English: It’s completely hot today, just like summer, isn’t it?
Example #4
私の努力はまるで無駄だった。
Furigana: わたしのどりょくはまるでむだだった。
Romaji: Watashi no doryoku wa marude muda datta.
English: My efforts were completely wasted.
Example #5
あの空の雲はまるで龍が泳いでいるようだ。
Furigana: あのそらのくもはまるでりゅうがおよいでいるようだ。
Romaji: Ano sora no kumo wa marude ryū ga oyoide iru yō da.
English: The clouds in that sky look just like a dragon swimming.
Example #6
彼が怒鳴ったとき、まるで別人のように見えた。
Furigana: かれがどなったとき、まるでべつじんのようにみえた。
Romaji: Kare ga donatta toki, marude betsujin no yō ni mieta.
English: When he yelled, he looked completely like a different person.
Example #7
この湖の水はまるで鏡のように透き通っている。
Furigana: このみずうみのみずはまるでかがみのようにすきとおっている。
Romaji: Kono mizuumi no mizu wa marude kagami no yō ni sukitōtte iru.
English: The water in this lake is transparent just like a mirror.
Example #8
彼は病気の後、まるで別人になってしまった。
Furigana: かれはびょうきのあと、まるでべつじんになってしまった。
Romaji: Kare wa byōki no ato, marude betsujin ni natte shimatta.
English: After his illness, he completely became a different person.
Example #9
彼女は日本語が上手で、まるで日本人みたいだ。
Furigana: かのじょはにほんごがじょうずで、まるで日本人みたいだ。
Romaji: Kanojo wa Nihongo ga jōzu de, marude Nihonjin mitai da.
English: She is so good at Japanese, she is practically Japanese.
Example #10
その古代の遺跡は、まるで時が止まったかのように静かだ。
Furigana: そのこだいのいせきは、まるでときがとまったかのようにしずかだ。
Romaji: Sono kodai no iseki wa, marude toki ga tomatta ka no yō ni shizuka da.
English: That ancient ruin is silent as if time has stopped.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Requirement of Comparative Markers
The rule is critical: **まるで must be followed by a comparative expression** such as ようだ (yō da), みたいだ (mitai da), or かのようだ (ka no yō da). This combination forms the complete comparison structure.
Example: まるで雪のようだ。
Usage for “Completely/Totally”
When expressing totality, particularly with negative or extreme adjectives (e.g., 駄目, 無駄), まるで means “completely” or “totally,” and the comparative marker might be omitted.
Example: まるでダメだ。
Emphasis on Negation/Difference
When used with a negative sense, まるで can mean “not at all” or “totally different,” intensely emphasizing the difference or negation.
Example: まるで違う。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ まるで雪。
✅ まるで雪のようだ。
‘Marude’ is an adverb and almost always requires a comparative phrase (like ‘yō da’ or ‘mitai da’) to complete the comparison. It cannot stand alone as a simple modifier.
❌ まるで少しだけある。
✅ まるでお金がない。
When expressing totality (e.g., ‘totally none’), ‘marude’ can modify the negative state, emphasizing that the lack is absolute. However, simply saying ‘marude nai’ is often used to mean ‘not at all.’
❌ この服はまるであの服とそっくりだ。
✅ これはそっくりだね。/これはまるで鏡みたいだ。
While ‘そっくり’ (sokkuri) means ‘exactly alike’ (often physical), ‘marude’ emphasizes the *degree* of similarity, making the comparison more dramatic or emotional, covering abstract qualities as well. Using them interchangeably for simple similarity can sometimes sound overly dramatic.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. The overall politeness depends on the ending of the sentence (e.g., です/ます vs. だ).
Social Situations: Appropriate in almost all situations where a strong comparison or emphasis is needed.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan, though colloquial equivalents to ‘mitai da’ may vary regionally.
🔍 Subtle Differences
まるで vs. よう (yō)
まるで is an adverb that *strengthens* the comparison marker. よう is the comparison marker itself. You would often use them together (まるで〜ようだ).
When to use: Use まるで when you want to highlight a *striking* or *extreme* similarity. Use よう simply to state a similarity.
まるで vs. そっくり (sokkuri)
そっくり means “exactly alike,” usually for physical resemblance. まるで is broader, covering abstract concepts, actions, and extreme states.
When to use: Use そっくり for direct, often visual, resemblance. Use まるで for emotional, abstract, or dramatic comparisons.
📝 Conjugation Notes
まるで is an adverb, so it does not conjugate. However, the comparative expressions that follow it (e.g., ようだ, みたいだ) must be correctly conjugated based on the part of speech they modify (e.g., よう**に** for modifying a verb).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounce the two morae clearly: ‘ma’ and ‘ru-de’. The emphasis often falls slightly on the first syllable ‘ma’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Relate まるで (marude) to the English word “Marvellous” (in the sense of being strikingly similar or wonderful) or the Japanese word まる (maru – circle/complete), suggesting “completely” or “totally.”
Other Grammar
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