Structure
Noun + の(1) + ごとし。
Noun + の(1) + ごとく
Noun + の(1) + ごとき + Noun
Verb + が(2) + ごとし。
Verb + が(2) + ごとく
Verb + が(2) + ごとき + Noun,
(1)であるが
(2) かの
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Formal
About 如く・如き・如し
如し is an classical auxiliary verb in Japanese which has a very similar meaning to its modern equivalent, よう 'manner of'. Just like よう, ごとし (written primarily in hiragana) focuses on the appearance of (A) based on observation. Due to this, ごとし may be translated as 'like (A)', 'similar to (A)', or 'as if it were (A)'.
ごとし is the base form of this auxiliary verb, but ごとく (the conjunctive form), and ごとき (the attributive form) will also be seen. As only ごとき is attributive, it may be followed directly by other nouns, while ごとし most often comes at the end of sentences. ごとく acts as an adverb when preceding verbs, but may also be seen before breaks in clauses. Let's look at a few examples of each form.
Like よう, ごとし and its variations will follow の when coming after a noun. However, it will follow が when coming after a verb.
As ごとし is old-fashioned, it will primarily be encountered in books, rather than in speech.
Fun Fact
The kanji 如 itself has a meaning very similar to the word 'likeness' in English, indicating something that resembles (A) in every sense of the word, but is not actually (A). This kanji can be seen in several common words in Japanese such as 如何 'how'.
Related
Examples
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彼女の動きはバレリーナの如し。
Her movements are like those of a ballet dancer.
ガンダルフの如き英雄はたんと無い。
There are not many heroes like Gandalf.
ウサイン・ボルトの如く走る。
He runs like Usain Bolt.
サービス業のマネージャーを任されている私にとって、休日などはあってなきが如し。
For me, who has been entrusted as the manager of the service sector, something like days off are virtually nonexistent.
忍者についての小説：「カツラが疾風の如く庭を駆け巡り、塀を飛び越えていった。」
A novel about ninja: 'Katsura ran through the garden like a swift wind and jumped over the wall.'
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如く・如き・如し – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (9 in total)
qazrt
casual
It is, although in this case the implication is more specific.
(person/thing)ごとき is often meant as a deprecatory construction “the likes of (person)”, “someone as weak/useless/etc as (person)”, “something as insignificant/etc as (thing)”.
The grammar point has one example of it, although without a specific explanation: 風邪ごとき “something as insignificant as a cold”.I think when it’s used in the literary meaning, it’s usually connected with の, and this version is usually connected directly as a suffix.
There are many examples parsed from LNs in ごとき – Vocabulary details – jpdb, but unfortunately you need to be registered to see examples there.
qazrt
oh thanks for you insight!
What do you think about the idea that sometimes N1 formal grammar points are used in a humorous manner? I actually do the same thing in my mother tongue as well. If this is true, it’s strange that the Japanese learner community doesn’t highlight this aspect of formal grammar.
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