如く (Gotoku): Like, as If

Meaning

English

like
as if
the same as

Reading

Kana

ごとく

Romaji

gotoku

Stroke Sequence

2 Characters • 7 Total Strokes

Study Signals and Categories

JLPT N1 Jōyō Upper grade Kanken 3級 Rank 137836 Priority V

Related Vocabulary

Max. 12

如月

きさらぎ

second month of the lunar calendar

如何に

いかに

hey

如何にも

いかにも

absolutely

如実

にょじつ

ultimate reality

如し

ごとし

like

如来

にょらい

Tathagata

如何

いかが

questionable

如実知見

にょじつちけん

perceiving reality as it is

如意自在

にょいじざい

freely

如実に物語る

にょじつにものがたる

to give a true account

如意輪観音

にょいりんかんのん

Cintamani-cakra (manifestation of Avalokitesvara)

如来蔵

にょらいぞう

tathagatagarbha (buddha-womb, the potential within all living things to become a buddha)

Example Sentences

4

喉に刺さった棘の如く。

Like a thorn stuck in your throat.

その像は本当に素晴らしい。まるで生きているかの如く、我々を見ている。

That statue is truly amazing. It's looking at us as if it were alive.

あの太った魔女は世界で一番綺麗であるかの如く振る舞っているのを見ると笑わなくてはいられない。

I can't help but laugh when I see that fat witch behaving as if she were the prettiest in the whole world.

既に述べたが如く、徹底的な調査の結果によると、我が社の経営には問題ないことは明らかになりました。

As I've already mentioned before, after a rigorous investigation, we have found nothing wrong with our company's management.