N1 Appearance, Manner, and Resemblance

~ごとく: meaning, usage and examples

~ごとく means: like... / as if... (literary).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 彼かれは、何事なにごともなかったかのごとく、振ふる舞まい続つづけた。

   He continued to behave as if nothing had happened.

2. 汗あせが滝たきのごとく流ながれる。

   Sweat flows like a waterfall.

3. 前述ぜんじゅつのごとく、今年度こんねんどの予算よさんは大幅おおはばに削減さくげんされた。

   As stated above, this fiscal year's budget was cut significantly.

4. 少年しょうねんは飛とぶがごとく坂道さかみちを駆かけ下おりていった。

   The boy ran down the slope as if he were flying.

When to use it

The literary form of ように: "like", "as", "as if". It compares something to a vivid image or refers back to what was stated: 滝たきのごとく (like a waterfall), 前述ぜんじゅつのごとく (as stated above). かのごとく means "as if": 何なにもなかったかのごとく (as if nothing had happened).

Nuance

Formal and literary, used in writing, speeches, novels and old sayings (光陰こういん矢やのごとし). ごとし ends a sentence, ごとく modifies a verb, ごとき modifies a noun. ごとき after a person can sound humble or contemptuous: 私わたしごときが (someone like me).

Compare

ように is the everyday form: 雪ゆきのように白しろい. ごとく is the written version: 雪ゆきのごとく白しろい. Compare さながら, also literary, which stresses a vivid resemblance: 戦場せんじょうさながらの混乱こんらん (chaos just like a battlefield). ごとく is more general and is also used for "as stated".

Tip: Match the form to the next word, just as with ように: ごとく + verb/adjective, ごとき + noun, ごとし at the end.