まるで
just like / as if
まるで is an adverb that announces a vivid comparison. Placed early in the sentence, it signals “what follows is a figure of speech”, and the comparison is then completed by ようだ (or the casual みたいだ).
English equivalents are “just like” and “exactly as if”. The plain simile ～のようだ already means “like”; adding まるで intensifies it, the way “just” or “exactly” does in English.
1. まるで + noun + のようだ
The most common shape: まるで sets up the simile, and Noun + のようだ resolves it at the end.
彼女の笑顔はまるで夢のようだ。
“Her smile is just like a dream.”
- 彼女（かのじょ）= she, her
- の = possessive particle
- 笑顔（えがお）= smile
- は = topic marker
- まるで = just like, exactly as if
- 夢（ゆめ）= dream
- のようだ = is like
2. まるで with のように / みたいだ
まるで also pairs with のように in the middle of a sentence, or with the casual みたいだ in conversation.
彼はまるで子供のように喜んだ。
“He was delighted, just like a child.”
- 彼（かれ）= he
- は = topic marker
- まるで = just like
- 子供（こども）= child
- のように = like (describing how)
- 喜んだ（よろこんだ）= was delighted
How to form it
まるで + Noun + のようだ／のように／のような (or casual みたいだ)
- 夢（ゆめ）= dream → まるで夢のようだ（まるでゆめのようだ）= is just like a dream
- 子供（こども）= child → まるで子供のように（まるでこどものように）= just like a child
- 本物（ほんもの）= the real thing → まるで本物みたいだ（まるでほんものみたいだ）= looks just like the real thing
Key idea
まるで cannot make a comparison by itself. It is a signpost that must be answered by ようだ or みたいだ later in the sentence. Together they say not just “like”, but “exactly like”.
Other N3 grammar
Updated .