Japanese

にる
Meaning: to resemble; to be similar to; to look like
Part of Speech: Verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 似る 似ない
Polite 似ます 似ません
Past 似た 似なかった
Polite + Past 似ました 似ませんでした
Te-form 似て 似なくて
Potential 似られる 似られない
Passive 似られる 似られない
Causative 似させる 似させない
Imperative 似ろ 似るな

Handwriting

似
る

Example sentences

He looks very much like his father.
彼は父親によく似た、整った顔立ちをしている。
He has well-defined facial features that look just like his father's.
この二つの単語は意味が似ていて紛らわしい。
These two words have similar meanings and are confusing.
日本語の文法では、形容動詞は形容詞と似ているが活用が違う。
In Japanese grammar, adjectival nouns are similar to adjectives, but their conjugation is different.

Usage Notes

Commonly used for physical appearance or characteristics. Often appears as '〜に似ている'.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.