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ごとき Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ごとき

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Meanings

1

auxiliary verb

like; similar to

usually written using kana alone

Attributive form of ごとし, used after nouns or attributive clauses to mean 'like' or 'as if'. Often found in formal or literary contexts.

See also: 如し

彼かれのごとき人じん物ぶつはめったにいない。
A person like him is rare.
夢ゆめのごとき時じ間かんだった。
It was a time like a dream.

2

auxiliary verb

something like ...; someone like ...

usually written using kana alone

Used in the pattern ...のごときは to single out a particular example, often with a dismissive or emphatic nuance.

彼かれのごときは問もん題だいにならない。
Someone like him is not even worth considering.
この程てい度どの失しっ敗ぱいのごときは気きにするな。
Don't worry about a failure like this.

Kanji

如likeness, like, such as

Similar words

ごとし
ごとき is the attributive form of ごとし, used before nouns or at the end of a clause in formal writing.
ようだ
ようだ is the common modern equivalent, used in everyday speech and writing, while ごとき is formal and literary.

Etymology

Classical Japanese attributive form of the auxiliary adjective ごとし, which expresses similarity or likeness. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it has been used since Old Japanese.