auxiliary N1 uncommon writtenliterary
〜めく — to show signs of ~
〜めく ・ めく
Meaning
- to show signs of / take on a touch of ~ — begin to feel or seem like ~
Key sentence
三月に入り、ようやく春めいてきた。
Now that it's March, it has finally begun to feel like spring.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun + めく → godan verb | 春めく、謎めく |
When: Literary/written; a small fixed set. The adnominal 〜めいた + noun is common: 謎めいた話 'a mysterious story'.
Examples
彼女は謎めいた笑みを浮かべた。
She gave a mysterious smile.
その言い方は、どこか皮肉めいて聞こえた。
The way he said it sounded somewhat sarcastic.
Easily confused with
〜びる めく = only 'show a hint of / take on a touch of' a quality (春めく 'feels springlike'); びる = actually come to possess the quality more fully (古びる 'grow worn'). 〜じみた Both color a noun with a quality, but じみた is strongly negative ('unbecomingly like'); めく is neutral or atmospheric ('with a touch of', e.g. 春めく, きらめく).
Notes
- Often appears as the adnominal 〜めいた modifying a noun, and in lexicalized verbs like きらめく ('glitter') and ざわめく ('be abuzz').
See 〜めく in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜めく the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.