この取引は罠みたいだ。
This deal seems like a proper stitch-up.
Aight, listen up, you lot. Today we’re gonna sort out this ‘mitai’ business. It’s a proper useful bit of kit, innit.
Basically, ‘mitai’ is how you say something ‘looks like’ or ‘seems like’ something else. It’s a proper simple way to talk about appearances or when you’re just guessing or making a solid assumption about something. Like, if a geezer’s wearing a proper flash suit and a top-of-the-range watch, you could say he ‘looks like a boss’. Or if you see some dodgy geezer talking to a copper, you might say it ‘seems like a snitch’. It’s all about what you observe and what you reckon is going on. It’s not a definite fact, see? You’re just giving your opinion based on what’s in front of you.
Think of it like this: ‘mitai’ is like you’re a detective on the beat, right? You’re checking out a situation and you’re making an educated guess. You see a geezer with a big, bulky bag and he’s looking shifty, you think to yourself, ‘He looks like he’s nicked something’. You don’t know for sure, you haven’t seen the evidence, but all the signs are pointing to it. That’s ‘mitai’ in a nutshell, my friend. It’s for when you’re on a stakeout and you’re just observing the scene.
Right, here’s how you stick ‘mitai’ onto words. Proper easy, you can’t mess this up.
| Word Type | Japanese | English |
| Noun | noun みたい | looks/seems like a noun |
| Noun with a ‘no’ | noun みたいな | like a noun (for modifying another noun) |
| Na-adjective | na-adjective みたい | looks/seems like a na-adjective |
| I-adjective | i-adjective みたい | looks/seems like an i-adjective |
| Verb | verb (plain form) みたい | looks/seems like (someone/something is doing a verb) |
It’s dead simple. You just chuck ‘mitai’ on the end of a noun, adjective, or verb in its plain form. The ‘na’ version is only when you’re using it to describe another noun that comes after it. So, you’d say something like 「泥棒みたいな顔。」 which means “a face like a thief’s”. Get me? Easy peasy.
Right, before we get to the examples, here’s some new lingo for you to get your head around.
売春婦 (ばいしゅんふ)
English: Prostitute.
Right, so you got a geezer who needs a bit of company, yeah? He’s out on the tear, lookin’ for a bit of action, and he finds a 売春婦. She’s on the clock, doin’ what she’s gotta do to get by, makin’ money on the street. It’s a proper old-school game, been goin’ on forever.
アジト (Ajito)
English: Hideout; den.
Listen, every proper crew needs a spot, a gaff where you can chill, talk business, and keep your gear. That’s your アジト. It’s the place you go when the heat’s on, where you stash the loot and plan the next job. It’s off the grid, no one knows about it except the proper lads. You gotta have a solid アジト or you’re just askin’ for trouble.
王様 (おうさま)
English: King.
Now listen up, every manor’s got a top boy. The one everyone looks up to, the one who calls the shots. He’s the 王様. He’s the head of the firm, the main man. What he says goes, no questions asked. He’s got the power, the respect, and the whole operation runs through him. He’s the guv’nor.
逃走車 (とうそうしゃ)
English: Getaway car.
Alright, you pull off a job, a proper smash-and-grab. You can’t just walk off, can you? You need a 逃走車. It’s the motor you use to peel out and get away from the Old Bill. It’s gotta be fast, a bit of a runner, and it’s gotta be clean, no fingerprints. You ditch it after a few miles and you’re golden. The 逃走車 is the key to a clean escape.
拷問室 (ごうもんしつ)
English: Torture room.
When someone messes with the crew, they gotta learn a lesson, don’t they? You take ’em to the 拷問室. It’s the gaff where you have a little chat, a proper sit-down. You get the truth out of ’em, make ’em talk. It’s not a nice place, mate, but sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind. It’s where you find out who’s a grass and who’s a snake.
Here’s 10 examples for you, all proper street-wise. Pay attention, yeah?
あの警官は売春婦みたいだ。
That copper seems like a prostitute.
彼は何も知らないみたいに振る舞っている。
He’s acting like he don’t know nothin’.
あのビルはアジトみたいだ。
That block of flats looks like the gaff.
彼はこの街の王様みたいだ。
He’s like the king of this manor.
銀行はもう閉まったみたいだ。
It looks like the bank has already packed it in.
あの車は逃走車みたいだ。
That motor looks like a getaway car.
この部屋は拷問室みたいだ。
This room looks like a proper pain cave.
彼は何かを隠しているみたいだ。
He looks like he’s stashing something.
あの組織はめちゃくちゃみたいだ。
That firm looks like a total shambles.
彼の目は死んでいるみたいだ。
His eyes look like they’re proper dead.
Alright, that’s your lot. Now get out there and use it proper. Don’t be a donut.
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