N4 · Unit 12
Lesson 46Resemblance, deadlines, and change within an interval
Describe resemblance, a deadline by which an action must finish, and a change occurring during an interval.
What you learn
Describe resemblance, a deadline by which an action must finish, and a change occurring during an interval.
Learning points
- Comparison and resemblance
- Deadlines
- Time intervals
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
Nの / 普通形 + ようです / みたいです（比喩） ・ N + らしい + N ・ 時間 + までに ・ 普通形 / Nの + 間 / 間に ・ Nのような 味 / においが しますBeginner explanation
〜ようです／みたいです can make a comparison as well as an inference and often pair with まるで; みたい is more conversational. NらしいN means having the typical qualities of N. まで marks continuation until a time, while までに sets a deadline by which something must finish. 〜間 covers continuous duration, while 〜間に places an event within that interval. Use Nのような味／においがします for a taste or smell resembling N.
Understand these sentences first
- この 布は 雪のように 白いです。kono nuno wa yuki no yō ni shiroi desu
This cloth is as white as snow.
- 今日は 春らしい 天気です。kyō wa haru rashii tenki desu
The weather feels typically springlike today.
- 金曜日までに、書類を 提出して ください。kin'yōbi made ni, shorui o teishutsu shite kudasai
Please submit the document by Friday.
- 子供が 寝ている間に、夕食を 作りました。kodomo ga nete iru aida ni, yūshoku o tsukurimashita
I made dinner while the child was asleep.
Core vocabulary
- 本物ほんものthe real thing
- 毛皮けがわfur
- 柔らかいやわらかいsoft
- 締め切りしめきりdeadline
- 提出ていしゅつsubmission
- 期間きかんperiod
- 味あじtaste
- においにおいsmell
Grammar, one point at a time
Like or as if: よう／みたい for simile
Nの／普通形 + ようだ ｜ N／普通形 + みたいだThe inference forms from Lesson 44 also make comparisons. まるで strengthens the simile. よう is neutral and available in writing, while みたい is more conversational. A simile states resemblance; it does not prove identical material, identity, or fact.
Examples
- これは まるで 本物の 毛皮の ようです。This feels as if it were real fur.
- この雲は 魚みたいです。This cloud looks like a fish.
- まるで 映画を 見ている ようでした。It was as if I were watching a film.
Modify nouns or actions with ような／ように and みたいな／みたいに
～ような／みたいな + N ｜ ～ように／みたいに + V・AUse な before a noun and に before a verb or adjective. A noun keeps の before よう, as in 鳥のように. Conversational みたい normally does not take の before it.
Examples
- 鳥の ように 空を 飛びたいです。I want to fly through the sky like a bird.
- ドラマの ような 出来事です。It is an event like one in a drama.
- 先生みたいに 上手に 話したいです。I want to speak skilfully like the teacher.
Typical of something: N1らしいN2
N1 + らしい + N2Here らしい does not report hearsay; it says the following noun has traits commonly associated with the first noun. With いかにも it normally marks typicality. When describing nationality, gender, occupation, or another group, state the concrete trait and avoid turning an impression into an essential stereotype. Repeating the same noun can mean a proper or recognizable example.
Examples
- 今日は 春らしい 天気です。Today has typically spring-like weather.
- 落ち着いた 色が、この店らしい デザインです。The calm colours are characteristic of this shop's design.
- 忙しくて、食事らしい 食事を していません。I have been too busy to eat a proper meal.
Continue until a time vs complete by a deadline: まで／までに
時 + まで ｜ 時 + までにまで marks an action or state continuing until an endpoint. までに requires a one-time action to be completed by that endpoint. A deadline normally includes the stated point, but real work should specify the date, time zone, and system closing time. までには can emphasize no later than.
Examples
- 3時まで レポートを 書きます。I will work on the report until three.
- 3時までに レポートを 出します。I will submit the report by three.
- 来月の 初めまでには 準備を 済ませます。I will finish the preparations by the beginning of next month at the latest.
Throughout a duration vs within it: 間／間に
Nの／普通形 + 間 ｜ Nの／普通形 + 間に間 accompanies an action or state continuing throughout a span and often appears with ずっと. 間に treats the span as a window in which an event occurs or finishes. If the main action itself lasts, the choice can depend on whether the speaker focuses on duration or occurrence within the window.
Examples
- 電話を している 間、ずっと メモを 取りました。I took notes throughout the call.
- 子供が 寝ている 間に、洗濯物を たたみました。I folded the laundry while the child was asleep.
- 留学している 間に、町が 大きく 変わりました。The town changed greatly while I was studying abroad.
Sensory and bodily impressions with 味・におい・声・音・感じ・symptom＋がする
Nのような + 味／におい + がする ｜ 声／音／感じ／症状 + がするUse がする for a taste, smell, sound, or impression perceived at the moment. Add のような for a comparison. Physical discomfort can be described as 頭痛, 寒気, or 吐き気がする. This is a language pattern, not a medical diagnosis; severe or persistent symptoms require appropriate local care.
Examples
- レモンの ような 味が します。It tastes like lemon.
- 外で 車の 音が します。I can hear a car outside.
- 少し 吐き気が します。I feel slightly nauseated.
Expressions and situations
まるで strengthens as if and does not establish fact
まるで often pairs with ようだ or みたいだ and can also intensify a negative as not at all. For product material, 本物のようだ is only an impression of feel or appearance and cannot replace a material label, test, or sales disclosure.
- まるで 木の ような 手触りです。It feels just like wood.
- 説明を 聞いても、まるで 分かりません。I do not understand at all even after the explanation.
済む means be finished; 済ませる means finish something
With intransitive 済む, the task is the subject. Transitive 済ませる takes the completed task as its object. 食事を済ませる means finish the meal; it does not necessarily imply rushing or neglect.
- 準備が 済みました。The preparations are complete.
- 午前中に 手続きを 済ませました。I completed the procedure in the morning.
んじゃないですか can soften an opinion but may also sound pressuring
With gentle intonation it can mean I think perhaps. With stress or conflict it can become a challenging isn't it. Use ～のではないでしょうか in formal settings, or ask どう思いますか when genuinely seeking an opinion.
- もう少し 広い 方が いいんじゃないですか。Wouldn't something slightly larger be better?
- この案について、どう 思いますか。What do you think of this proposal?
いかにも means distinctly characteristic, but avoid stereotyping
It pairs naturally with typical らしい for seasons, an artistic style, or a shop's design. Treating nationality, gender, or occupational appearance as a single type invites stereotyping; state observable colour, structure, use, or historical source instead.
- いかにも この作家らしい 文章です。The writing is distinctly characteristic of this author.
- 伝統的な 柄が 使われています。A traditional pattern is used.
Use がする for immediate perception, but におい／声がある is not universally impossible
焦げたにおいがする and 外で声がする describe an immediate smell or sound. By contrast, 独特のにおいがある can describe a characteristic smell, and 反対の声がある means opposing opinions exist. Choose by perception versus existence or possession rather than extending a beginner rule into an absolute ban.
- 部屋から 甘い においが します。A sweet smell is coming from the room.
- この木には 独特の においが あります。This wood has a distinctive smell.
- 計画に 反対する 声も あります。There are also voices opposing the plan.
Use がする for headache, chills, and nausea
Common forms are 頭痛がする, 寒気がする, and 吐き気がする. You can also say 頭が痛い or 寒気を感じる. When speaking to a clinician, add when it began, severity, duration, and accompanying symptoms.
- 昨日から 頭痛が します。I have had a headache since yesterday.
- 朝から 寒気と 吐き気が します。I have felt chills and nausea since this morning.
Convert month-end, month-start, and 初め into exact dates
今月の末 and 来月の初め are fine in general conversation, but contracts, bookings, shipping, and submissions may define early in the month differently. For real arrangements, state an exact date, time zone, and channel, such as by 17:00 Japan time on 3 September.
- 9月3日の 17時までに 送ってください。Please send it by 17:00 on 3 September.
Check visa, cancellation, duty-free, and baggage rules for each trip
Whether a visa is required depends on passport, destination, purpose, and length of stay. Cancellation fees depend on booking terms and timing. Duty-free, baggage, and quarantine rules also change. The vocabulary list supports reading; it does not establish current eligibility or cost.
- 予約条件と キャンセル料を 確認します。I will check the booking terms and cancellation fee.
- 出発前に、必要な ビザを 公式サイトで 確認します。I will check the required visa on an official site before departure.
A tour escort, guide, and interpreter are different roles
A 添乗員 accompanies the tour and coordinates its itinerary and procedures. A ガイド explains places or leads the route. A 通訳 transfers meaning between languages. One person may combine roles, but the title alone does not prove qualifications, authority, or service scope.
- 添乗員に 集合時間を 確認します。I will confirm the meeting time with the tour escort.
- 通訳が 会議の 内容を 伝えます。The interpreter conveys the meeting content.
Distinguish genuine from like the genuine article
本物 claims authenticity or genuine material; 本物のよう is only a comparison. Claims such as genuine leather, natural fur, or original on a product page require material labelling, supply records, and applicable rules, not merely natural-sounding Japanese.
- 本物の ような 手触りですが、素材は 合成繊維です。It feels like the genuine material, but it is synthetic fibre.
What you should be able to do
- Express one comparison at sentence end, before a noun, and before an action with よう and みたい forms.
- Classify ten らしい sentences as hearsay or typicality and add concrete observable traits to descriptions of people.
- Distinguish まで, までに, and までには on a timeline and replace early or late month with exact dates and time zones.
- Choose 間 or 間に for continuing and completed actions and explain whether the focus is the whole span or an event within it.
- Create sentences for taste, smell, sound, impression, and three symptoms, distinguishing がする from existential がある.
- Complete an original travel flow covering visa and booking terms, check-in, screening, entry, baggage claim, and customs, marking rules that can change.
Culture and real use
A travel guide is not permanent: verify hours, schedules, tickets, and suitability in real time
The textbook's Tokyo sidebar is useful for travel vocabulary but should not be treated as a current itinerary unchanged. Tokyo's official information confirms that the first government building has north and south observatories on the 45th floor, with views from 202 metres; hours, closure days, security, and crowding can change and should be checked on the day. The Japan Sumo Association's annual schedule shows that Tokyo's Kokugikan normally hosts the January, May, and September tournaments, but dates and ticketing are published each year. GO TOKYO still presents Kaminarimon, Nakamise, and Sensoji as an Asakusa route, with Nakamise extending about 250 metres and shop hours varying. Roppongi, Marunouchi, Asakusa, and theme parks are not fixed preferences of one gender, age, or nationality; choose by budget, accessibility, health, interest, opening, and ticket conditions. The course therefore keeps the place and airport vocabulary, removes stereotypes such as a favourite of one category of women, and links opening, price, and event claims to current official pages.
- 営業時間と 休室日を 当日に 確認します。I will check the opening hours and closure day on the day.
- 大会の 日程と チケットは 毎年 変わります。Tournament dates and tickets change each year.
- 年齢や 性別ではなく、条件と 希望で 選びます。We choose by conditions and preferences, not age or gender.