like, as if, such as

Advanced

25-30 min

rare

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Literary expression for comparison or example.

[Noun] + ごとき / ごとく

彼は鳥のごとく飛んだ。

Kare wa tori no gotoku tonda.

He flew like a bird.

君ごときに負けない。

Kimi gotoki ni makenai.

I won't lose to the likes of you.

ごとき can be derogatory, ごとく is neutral.

～とあれば

if it is the case that, if it comes to

～ならいざ知らず

~ might be one thing, but; leaving ~ aside

～てやまない

earnestly wish/hope, never stop ~ing

～をものともせずに

not being daunted by ~, in spite of ~

～んがため(に)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~ (formal/literary)

Common in literature and poetry.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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