Meaning
似 describes resemblance — the quality of looking like, or sharing features with, something else. A child who looks like their parent 似ている. Two words with overlapping meanings 似ている. Simple concept, constant presence in daily Japanese.
Structurally, 似 combines the 人偏（にんべん） — the person radical on the left — with 以 on the right. The 以 component historically suggests using something as a model or standard. Read together, the character evokes one person holding another up as a reference: mirroring, echoing, following their shape. Resemblance always requires two parties, and the character reflects that.
似 is a grade-5 kanji, written in 7 strokes. At N2, it shows up across formal writing and casual speech alike — family resemblance, geometric similarity, clothing that suits someone, counterfeit goods. Knowing it well unlocks a wide vocabulary of comparison.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
似 has one on'yomi: ジ (ji). It appears in compound words (熟語, じゅくご) of Chinese origin, mostly formal or technical vocabulary.
- 類似 (ruiji) — resemblance, similarity. Common in academic, legal, and scientific writing to describe things of the same type or category.
- 相似 (sōji) — similarity; in geometry, "similar figures" (same angles, proportional sides). A standard math term.
- 擬似 (giji) — pseudo-, simulated. Works as a prefix: 擬似科学 (pseudoscience), 擬似コード (pseudocode in programming).
- 酷似 (kokuji) — striking resemblance. The 酷 intensifies: not a passing likeness, but an uncanny one.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Two kun'yomi: に.る (ni.ru) and に.せる (ni.seru). These are the readings you'll encounter most in everyday speech.
に.る (ni.ru) is an intransitive verb meaning "to resemble" or "to look like." The similarity exists naturally — no deliberate action involved.
- 似る (niru) — to resemble, to look like
- 似合う (niau) — to suit, to look good on someone; literally "to come together in resemblance"
- 似通う (nikayou) — to be deeply alike; suggests thoroughgoing similarity, not just surface resemblance
- 似顔絵 (nigaoe) — a portrait or caricature; literally "a face-resembling picture"
に.せる (ni.seru) is transitive: to imitate, to make something resemble something else. Here the resemblance is deliberate.
- 似せる (niseru) — to imitate, to copy, to make resemble
- 似せ物 (nisemono) — an imitation, a fake; literally "a thing made to resemble"
- 似非 (ese) — pseudo-, fake, sham (prefix; irregular reading)
Common Words & Compounds
似 spans several semantic fields. Here are the most useful compounds, grouped by theme.
Resemblance & Likeness
- 類似 (ruiji) — resemblance, similarity; 類似した is a common compound adjective
- 相似 (sōji) — similarity; geometric similarity in mathematics
- 酷似 (kokuji) — striking resemblance
- 似通う (nikayou) — to be very alike, deeply similar
Suiting & Matching
- 似合う (niau) — to suit, to look good on; used for clothes, hairstyles, personalities
- 似合わない (niawanai) — doesn't suit, doesn't match
- お似合い (o-niai) — (honorific) a perfect match; often said of couples
Portraits & Images
- 似顔絵 (nigaoe) — portrait, caricature, likeness drawing
- 生き写し (ikiutsushi) — a spitting image (often used alongside 似る)
Imitation & Fakes
- 似せ物 (nisemono) — imitation, fake, counterfeit
- 擬似 (giji) — pseudo-, simulated (prefix)
- 似非 (ese) — pseudo-, sham (prefix; irregular reading)
Example Sentences
彼女はお母さんによく似ていますね。
Kanojo wa okaasan ni yoku nite imasu ne.
She really takes after her mother, doesn't she?
そのコートはあなたにとても似合っていますよ。
Sono kōto wa anata ni totemo niatte imasu yo.
That coat suits you really well.
二つの事件は非常に類似している。
Futatsu no jiken wa hijō ni ruiji shite iru.
The two incidents are strikingly similar.
兄弟なのに、全然似ていないね。
Kyōdai na noni, zenzen nite inai ne.
They're siblings, but they don't look alike at all.
その絵はとても上手な似顔絵だ。
Sono e wa totemo jōzu na nigaoe da.
That's a very well-drawn portrait.
このバッグは本物に似せて作られた偽物だ。
Kono baggu wa honmono ni nisete tsukurareta nisemono da.
This bag is a fake made to look like the real thing.
二つの三角形は相似の関係にある。
Futatsu no sankakkei wa sōji no kankei ni aru.
The two triangles are geometrically similar.
彼の考え方は私のと似通っている。
Kare no kangaekata wa watashi no to nikayotte iru.
His way of thinking is a lot like mine.
この双子は顔が酷似していて、見分けがつかない。
Kono futago wa kao ga kokuji shite ite, miwake ga tsukanai.
These twins look so alike I can never tell them apart.
Memory Tip
Picture the 人 (person) radical as someone standing in front of a mirror. The right side, 以, is the reflection — the model being copied. A person mirroring another person.
For the kun reading に (ni): think of the English word "nearly" — に sounds like the first syllable, and 似る means to nearly match someone. For the on reading ジ (ji): imagine spotting a stranger and thinking "gee, they look just like my friend!" — that moment of recognition is exactly what 似 captures.