Grammar › Manner & Implication
めく — “seeming like, taking on the air of”
Says something has started to show signs of a certain season, mood, or quality
Noun + めく says something has begun to take on the visible signs or atmosphere of the named thing — most famously 春めく (haru-meku, “to start feeling like spring”). It's gentle and often poetic, describing a gradual, subtle shift rather than a sudden change.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + めく | 日ごとに春めいてきた — Day by day, it's started to feel more like spring |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 三月になると、街全体が春めいてくる。 | さんがつになると、まちぜんたいがはるめいてくる。 sangatsuninaruto、machizentaigaharumeitekuru。 | Once March arrives, the whole town starts to feel like spring. |
| 彼の言葉には皮肉めいた響きがあった。 | かれのことばにはひにくめいたひびきがあった。 karenokotobanihahinikumeitahibikigaatta。 | There was a sarcastic ring to his words. |
| 冗談めいた口調で言われたが、本気だったようだ。 | じょうだんめいたくちょうでいわれたが、ほんきだったようだ。 joudanmeitakuchoudeiwaretaga、honkidattayouda。 | It was said in a joking tone, but it seems he was serious. |
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Watch out
めく describes a gradual, atmospheric shift toward something — it's not a flat, sudden equivalence (“became X”); it fits situations where something is subtly starting to resemble a mood or season rather than fully becoming it.