～かのようだ・まるで～ようだ
As if something were really the case
You’ll be able to make a vivid comparison by describing an appearance or situation as though it were something else.
静かな湖面は、まるで大きな鏡であるかのようです。
shizuka na komen wa, marude ookina kagami de aru ka no you desu.
What do you think this sentence means?
The quiet lake surface looks just as if it were a giant mirror.
Compare metaphorically as if something were true
～かのようだ / ～かのよう（に） creates a figurative comparison, describing a state as if it were truly so, often paired with まるで ("as if", "just like").
彼は何もなかったかのように笑っていた。
kare wa nani mo nakatta ka no you ni waratte ita.
He was smiling as if nothing had happened.
まるで夢を見ているかのようだ。
marude yume o mite iru ka no you da.
It is as if I were dreaming.
Attach かのようだ to a plain clause
Attach かのようだ to plain verbs or i-adjectives. For na-adjectives and nouns, use であるかのように; with まるで, a noun can also take のようだ.
春が来たばかりなのに、今日はまるで夏のようだ。
haru ga kita bakari na noni, kyou wa marude natsu no you da.
Even though spring just arrived, today is just like summer.
弟は自分で作ったかのように、母の料理を友だちに自慢していた。
otouto wa jibun de tsukutta ka no you ni, haha no ryouri o tomodachi ni jiman shite ita.
My brother was showing off Mom’s cooking to his friends as if he had made it himself.
初めて会ったのに、彼女とは昔から知っていたかのように話せた。
hajimete atta noni, kanojo to wa mukashi kara shitte ita ka no you ni hanaseta.
Even though we had just met, I could talk with her as if I had known her for years.
雪が積もった町は、まるで絵はがきのようだった。
yuki ga tsumotta machi wa, marude ehagaki no you datta.
The snow-covered town looked just like a picture postcard.
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