〜めく / 〜めいた
meku / meita
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Meaning
seem like …; have an air of …
〜めく turns a noun into a Group I verb meaning "to have the air of X, to seem X-like": 春めく (become spring-like), 謎めく (be mysterious). The most common form is the adnominal めいた: 皮肉めいた言い方 (a sarcastic way of speaking), 冗談めいた口調 (a joking tone).
Literary and descriptive writing, also in refined speech. Used for seasons (春めく・秋めく), atmosphere (謎めく), and tone of speech (皮肉めいた・冗談めいた・説教めいた・脅迫めいた). The list of nouns is limited; you cannot attach it freely.
Formation
V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.
N + めく (verb: めきます・めいて・めいた)N + めいた + N (most common)N + めいてくる (a change is felt)Typical N: 春・秋・皮肉・冗談・謎・説教・脅迫・作り物
Visual diagram
皮肉 + めく
noun → Group I verb
- + めいた皮肉めいた言い方adnominal: sarcastic-sounding
- + めいて皮肉めいて聞こえるte-form: sounds sarcastic
- + めいてきた春めいてきたchange: has become spring-like
Natural examples
日差しがすっかり春めいてきた。
ひざしがすっかりはるめいてきた。
The sunlight has become quite spring-like.
春めいてきた: a change felt in the season. Group I conjugation: めく → めいて.
彼の皮肉めいた言い方に腹が立った。
かれのひにくめいたいいかたにはらがたった。
His sarcastic way of speaking made me angry.
皮肉めいた + 言い方: the most common adnominal use.
その老人は謎めいた笑みを浮かべた。
そのろうじんはなぞめいたえみをうかべた。
The old man wore a mysterious smile.
謎めいた笑み: a mysterious smile.
上司の冗談めいた言葉の裏に、厳しい注意が隠れていた。
じょうしのじょうだんめいたことばのうらに、きびしいちゅういがかくれていた。
Behind my boss's seemingly joking words lay a stern warning.
冗談めいた: it looked like a joke but was not.
彼女の口調はだんだん説教めいてきた。
かのじょのくちょうはだんだんせっきょうめいてきた。
Her tone gradually started to sound like a lecture.
めいてくる for a gradual change.
Similar grammar and the difference
Casual "-ish" that attaches freely (子供っぽい・安っぽい). めく is literary and limited to certain nouns. Compare side by side
A formal simile, "like X" (氷のごとき). めく says X has a touch of that quality, not that it resembles X. Compare side by side
"Just like" (a strong resemblance); めく is a weaker "has a touch of". Compare side by side
Common mistakes
- ✗
- 彼は子供めいた性格だ。
- ✓
- 彼は子供っぽい性格だ。
- Why
- 子供 does not take めく; use っぽい.
- ✗
- 皮肉めくな言い方
- ✓
- 皮肉めいた言い方
- Why
- めく is a verb, so the adnominal form is めいた, not めくな.
- ✗
- 日差しが春めいたきた。
- ✓
- 日差しが春めいてきた。
- Why
- The te-form of the Group I verb めく is めいて.
Learn the fixed set: 春めく・秋めく・謎めく・皮肉めく・冗談めく・説教めく・脅迫めく・作り物めく. めいた usually implies "looks like X but is not quite X": 脅迫めいた手紙 = a letter that feels like a threat. It is a favourite of novelists for describing atmosphere and tone.
JLPT N1 tips
On the exam
- Season noun + blank + てきた → めいてきた. Tone noun (皮肉・冗談) + blank + 言い方 → めいた.
- Distractors: っぽい, らしい, さながら. If the noun is from the limited めく list and the register is literary, choose めく.
- Watch the conjugation: めいた (past/adnominal), めいて (te-form), not めくた or めくて.
Frequently asked questions
What does 〜めく / 〜めいた mean?
seem like …; have an air of …. 〜めく turns a noun into a Group I verb meaning "to have the air of X, to seem X-like": 春めく (become spring-like), 謎めく (be mysterious). The most common form is the adnominal めいた: 皮肉めいた言い方 (a sarcastic way of speaking), 冗談めいた口調 (a joking tone).
How do you form 〜めく / 〜めいた?
N + めく (verb: めきます・めいて・めいた) / N + めいた + N (most common) / N + めいてくる (a change is felt) / Typical N: 春・秋・皮肉・冗談・謎・説教・脅迫・作り物. V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.
When is 〜めく / 〜めいた used?
Literary and descriptive writing, also in refined speech. Used for seasons (春めく・秋めく), atmosphere (謎めく), and tone of speech (皮肉めいた・冗談めいた・説教めいた・脅迫めいた). The list of nouns is limited; you cannot attach it freely.
What is the difference between 〜めく / 〜めいた and 〜っぽい?
Casual "-ish" that attaches freely (子供っぽい・安っぽい). めく is literary and limited to certain nouns.
What is the difference between 〜めく / 〜めいた and 〜ごとき / 〜ごとく?
A formal simile, "like X" (氷のごとき). めく says X has a touch of that quality, not that it resembles X.
What is a common mistake with 〜めく / 〜めいた?
Wrong: 彼は子供めいた性格だ。 Right: 彼は子供っぽい性格だ。 子供 does not take めく; use っぽい.
Quick check
三月に入り、風もすっかり春（ ）きた。