様(よう) + に・なAs・like, Just like

ように・ような and みたいに・みたいな both express similarity, meaning 'like' something else. The main difference is formality and structure. みたい is more casual and attaches directly, e.g. 春みたいな天気 'spring-like weather' in a season that is not actually spring. よう is more formal and requires の, e.g. 春のような天気, which has the same meaning.

Both そうに・そうな and ように・ような describe appearances, but with different nuances. そうに・そうな conveys a subjective impression or an event about to happen, e.g. 優しそうな目 'kind-seeming eyes' or 雨が降りそうな天気 'weather that looks like it's about to rain'. ように・ような, in contrast, expresses comparison, e.g. 春が来たような天気 'weather that feels like spring has arrived'.

Both のように・のような and ように・ような use よう to express similarity, but with different structures and uses. のように・のような follows nouns for comparisons, e.g. 日本人のような話し方 'a manner of speaking like a Japanese person's'. ように・ような follows verbs and conveys the meaning of doing something 'as if' or 'in a way that is like,' e.g. 日本人が話すように話す 'to speak like a Japanese person speaks'.

These expressions are related through the ように in まい～のように, which is the same as in ように・ような, both expressing comparison. まい～のように is used with 'every~' time expressions to mean 'almost every (A)', e.g. 毎日のように 'almost every day'. In contrast, ように・ような is used for general comparisons, e.g. 春のように暖かい ('It's warm like spring.').

ように・ような follows the plain form of a verb or adjective, and expresses similarity in a general sense. For example, 春が来たような日 'a day that is like as if spring had come'. ような気がする is a common idiom that uses this pattern, meaning 'have a feeling.' For example, 誰かが来たような気がする ('I have a feeling that someone came.').

Both という風に and ように・ような can be used to express similarity or comparison, but their nuance differs. という風に suggests doing something in a way 'as if to say' something else, meaning that the comparison can be uncertain or abstract. In contrast, ように・ような expresses a more direct comparison, implying similar qualities.

ように・ような and そう both convey impressions, but with different nuance. ように・ような expresses direct comparison or similarity, like 'as if' or 'like,' e.g. 春が来たように暖かい ('It's warm as if spring had come.'). そう is based on the speaker's observation or feeling, e.g. 暖かそう ('It seems warm.').

ように・ような follows the plain form of a verb or adjective and expresses general similarity. For example, 日本人のように話す 'speak like a Japanese person'. The same よう appears in ように～てほしい, which expresses wanting someone to act a certain way. For example, 日本人のように話してほしい ('I want you to speak like a Japanese person.').

Both みたい and ように・ような express resemblance, similar to 'seems like' in English. みたい is more casual and common in everyday speech, while ように・ような is more formal and used in writing. みたい attaches directly to nouns, e.g. 春みたいな天気 'spring-like weather'. In contrast, よう requires の, e.g. 春のような天気 (same meaning).

ようだ and ように・ような share the meaning of 'seems' or 'appears', but differ in usage. ようだ is used at the end of a sentence to express observations or inferences, e.g. 雨が降るようだ ('It looks like it will rain.'). ように・ような connect to verbs or nouns to show similarity, e.g. 春のように暖かい ('It's warm like spring.') and 春のような天気 'spring-like weather'.

風 (ふう) and ように・ような both express resemblance. 風 attaches directly to nouns, e.g. アメリカ風料理 'American-style food', while ような requires の before nouns, e.g. ハンバーガーのような料理 'food like a hamburger'. 風 often has a more stylistic nuance, while ような is a more neutral comparison.

Both とおり and ように・ような can express doing something in a similar way, but their nuance differs. とおり implies doing something exactly as described, while ように・ような suggests general similarity. For example, 言われたとおりにした ('I did exactly as I was told.') vs. 言われたようにした ('I did it as I was told.'), where the latter is less precise and emphatic about how closely the speaker followed instructions.

ふうに and ように・ような both express similarity or comparison, but their nuance differs. ふうに suggests appearing a certain way or having a certain style (literally, a certain 'air'). In contrast, ように・ような implies a more direct comparison or resemblance. Their usage also differs: ふうに is followed by verbs or phrases, while ように connects to phrases and ような to nouns.

かのようだ and ように・ような both use よう, meaning 'seems', but have different specific uses. かのようだ carries a strong hypothetical nuance and is often used to mean 'just like' or 'as if' when comparing to obviously different things. In contrast, ように・ような expresses comparison in a more direct or neutral way and can be used whether the similarity is hypothetical or real.

ように・ような and にみえる can both describe similarities in appearance, but differ in usage. ように・ような follows the plain form of a verb or adjective and expresses general similarity. にみえる follows a noun or な-adjective (note: よう functions as a な-adjective) and means 'looks like'. The two can be used together, for example, 台風が来たように見える ('It looks as if a typhoon had come.').