如(ごと)くLike, Similar to, As if, The same as

如(ごと)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(どう) 'how'.