Japatan
Formation
- N + めく
- N + めいた + N
- N + めいている
Explanation
Attached to a noun, it means something shows the feel of that noun without fully being it. It is used for signs of a season (春めく, 秋めく) and for words or people that seem like something (皮肉めいた, 謎めいた, 説教めいた, 言い訳めいた). Before a noun, 〜めいた is usual, and change is often expressed with 〜めいてきた.
Examples
三月に入り、日差しもだいぶ 春めいてきた。
Now that it's March, the sunlight has begun to feel quite spring-like.
先輩は遅刻した私に 皮肉めいたことを言った。
My senior said something sarcastic to me when I was late.
彼の過去を知る人は少なく、謎めいた人物だと思われている。
Few people know his past, and he is regarded as a mysterious figure.
上司の話は、途中から 説教めいてきた。
Partway through, my boss's talk started to sound like a lecture.
Notes
It combines with a limited set of nouns such as 春, 秋, 皮肉, 謎, 冗談, 説教 and 言い訳. It is not normally attached to adjectives or verbs.
Mini quiz
1木々の葉が色づき始め、町はすっかり秋（ ）きた。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 めいて
The leaves have begun to change color, and the town has become quite autumn-like. 秋めいてきた is correct; the other endings do not attach to 秋.
2遅れた理由を聞かれ、彼は言い訳（ ）ことを言い始めた。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 めいた
When asked why he was late, he began saying things that sounded like excuses. めいた is used before a noun; the other forms cannot modify こと.
3「めく」の使い方が正しい文はどれですか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 冗談めいた口調で言ったが、目は真剣だった。
He said it in a joking tone, but his eyes were serious. めく does not attach to adjectives or verbs, and 雨めく is not used.
