まるで
まるで is and adverb and means “Completely“. It has 2 somewhat contradictory usages:
- To express something is almost completely the same
- To express completely doing or not doing something.
＊Note まる (〇) in Japanese has another meaning of “whole” or “all”.
(Almost) Completely the same
まるで + Noun + “Like” adjective + Verb
This is the most common usage of まるで. Typically まるで comes before a noun, and is paired with a adjective like “のよう” or “みたいだ”.
This phrase means “Almost completely the same” or “Completely like“.
Examples
- まるで風船みたいだ – It’s completely like it was a balloon.
- 彼は、まるでフグのように膨らんだ – He got bigger, completely like he was a blow fish.
- その光景は美しくて、まるで星空のようだった。- The view was beautiful, completely like looking at the starry sky.
- 彼はまるでゴリラみたいな人だ – He’s completely like a gorilla.
Completely…
Completely…
まるで＋ Verb
This meaning of まるで is rarer, and tends to occur with negative verbs.
Absent a “like” adjective, you can probably assume it has this meaning.
Examples
- まるで見えない – Can’t see at all.
- 町での生活は彼が期待していたものとはまるで違っていた (Weblio)
It was completely different from the life he expected in a village. - まるで考えていなかった – Completely wasn’t thinking.