Lesson 184: ずくめ・まみれ・めく・ごとく

N1 · Lesson 184 · 18 min — Nothing but ~, covered in ~, a hint of ~ (めく・じみる), just like ~. Rin takes Grandpa back to Asakusa and learns four N1 ways to describe how things look!

Last lesson, Grandpa looked at the buds on the tree from behind the fence. This lesson has four patterns that come after a noun and describe how things look or feel: ずくめ (all ~), まみれ (covered in ~), めく / じみる (a feel of ~), and ごとく (like ~). Let's start with the comic!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use ずくめ for “nothing but ~, all ~”: いい ことずくめ, 黒くろずくめ
• Use まみれ for “covered in ~”: 汗あせまみれ, 粉こなまみれ
• Use めく / じみる for “a feel of ~”: 春はるめく, 子こどもじみた
• Use ごとく / ごとき for formal “like ~”: 五十年前ごじゅうねんまえの ごとく

Melon Pan, 50 Years Later

After seeing the buds, Rin takes Grandpa to Asakusa, the place where Rin once mistook a lantern and found a melon pan shop. (春はるめく = feels like spring, 粉こな = powder)

ずくめ = all ~; まみれ = covered in ~; めく / じみる = a feel of ~; ごとく = like ~. Next lesson: Rin is the tour guide and shows Grandpa around Tokyo!

Words for this lesson: Asakusa and ways to describe how things look

• 〜ずくめ (zukume): all ~, nothing but ~
• 〜まみれ (mamire): covered in ~, ~ all over
• 〜めく (meku): to have a feel of ~, to be a bit like ~
• 〜じみる (jimiru): to be ~ish (usually negative); also “stained with ~”
• 〜ごとく／ごとき (gotoku / gotoki): like ~, as if ~ (literary)
• 浅草あさくさ (Asakusa): Asakusa (an old district of Tokyo)
• メロンパン (meronpan): melon pan (melon bread)
• パン屋や (pan'ya): bakery
• 久ひさしぶり (hisashiburi): long time no see, after a long time
• 粉こな (kona): powder
• 三みっつ目め (mittsume): the third one
• ごちそう (gochisō): feast, a splendid meal
• 規則きそく (kisoku): rule, regulation
• 汗あせ (ase): sweat
• 泥どろ (doro): mud
• ほこり (hokori): dust
• 借金しゃっきん (shakkin): debt, loan
• 冗談じょうだん (jōdan): joke
• 謎なぞ (nazo): mystery, riddle
• 夢ゆめ (yume): dream
• 走はしり去さる (hashirisaru): to run away, to dash off

Grammar 1 / 4: ずくめ

N＋ずくめ: nothing but ~, all ~. It is the same one thing from head to toe, or all around: いい ことずくめ = nothing but good things; 黒くろずくめ = dressed all in black.

• Form: N＋ずくめ: Add ずくめ right after a noun. At the end of a sentence, use ずくめだ. Before a noun, use ずくめの N: 黒くろずくめの 人ひと.
• Meaning: nothing but ~, all ~: Everything around you, all day long, or all over your body is the same one thing: 今日きょうは いい ことずくめだ (Today is all good things).
• Only some nouns work: The most common are colors (黒くろずくめ・白しろずくめ), good things (いい ことずくめ), feasts (ごちそうずくめ) and rules (規則きそくずくめ). Not every noun can be used.
• Different from だらけ: だらけ means “full of (messy or bad things)”: ゴミだらけ, 間違まちがいだらけ. ずくめ means “all one same thing” and is mostly used with colors and good things.

• 旅行りょこうは ごちそうずくめだった。 — On that trip, every meal was a feast.
• 今年ことしは 合格ごうかくも 就職しゅうしょくも 決きまって、いい ことずくめだ。 — This year I passed the exam and found a job. It's all good things.
• 店みせの 前まえに 黒くろずくめの 男おとこが 立たって いた。 — A man dressed all in black is standing at the shop entrance.
• 彼女かのじょは 白しろずくめで パーティーに 来きた。 — She came to the party dressed all in white.
• 規則きそくずくめの 寮りょうの 生活せいかつは 大変たいへんだ。 — Dorm life with so many rules is hard.

Grammar 2 / 4: まみれ

N＋まみれ: covered in ~, ~ all over. Liquid or powder sticks all over a surface: 粉こなまみれ = covered in powder; 汗あせまみれ = soaked in sweat.

• Form: N＋まみれ: Add it right after a noun: まみれだ / まみれに なる / まみれの N / まみれで.
• Meaning: covered in ~, ~ all over: Liquid or tiny things stick all over a surface: 汗あせ (sweat), 泥どろ (mud), 油あぶら (oil), ほこり (dust), 粉こな (powder).
• It can also be figurative: 借金しゃっきんまみれ (deep in debt): bad things wrap around the whole person.
• Compare with だらけ: だらけ: there are “lots, scattered everywhere” (傷きずだらけ = covered in cuts and scratches, 間違まちがいだらけ, ゴミだらけ). まみれ: a surface is “completely covered, smeared.” You cannot say 間違まちがい＋まみれ. 傷きず (cuts, scratches) is also normally said as 傷きずだらけ.

• 一日中いちにちじゅう 畑はたけで 働はたらいて、汗あせまみれに なった。 — I worked in the field all day and got soaked in sweat.
• 泥どろまみれの 靴くつで 入はいらないで。 — Don't come in with those muddy shoes.
• 倉庫そうこの 古ふるい 箱はこは ほこりまみれだった。 — The old boxes in the warehouse were covered in dust.
• 借金しゃっきんまみれの 生活せいかつは もう いやだ。 — I'm sick of living deep in debt.
• 子こどもの 手てが チョコまみれだ。 — The child's hands are covered in chocolate.

Grammar 3 / 4: めく・じみる

N＋めく: a hint of ~ (春はるめく = to feel like spring). N＋じみる: ~ish, usually a criticism (子こどもじみた = childish).

• Form: N＋めく / N＋じみる: Both turn a noun into a verb. めく is Group 1: めいて / めいた N. じみる is Group 2: じみて / じみた N.
• めく = a hint of ~: Seasons are the most common: 春はるめく (to feel like spring), 秋あきめく (to feel like autumn). Also 冗談じょうだんめいた (joking-like), 謎なぞめいた (mysterious), 言いい訳わけめいた (like an excuse).
• じみる = ~ish (negative): 子こどもじみた (childish), 年寄としよりじみた (like an old person), 説教せっきょうじみた (preachy). It should not be like that, but it is, and it carries criticism.
• Compare with らしい: らしい: having the proper qualities of ~ (子こどもらしい = childlike, innocent, positive). じみる: it should not be like ~, but it is (子こどもじみた = childish, negative).

• 日差ひざしも 少すこしずつ 春はるめいて きた。 — Even the sunlight is slowly starting to feel like spring.
• 彼かれは 冗談じょうだんめいた 口調くちょうで 本音ほんねを 言いった。 — He spoke his true feelings in a joking tone.
• 謎なぞめいた 手紙てがみが 届とどいた。 — I received a mysterious letter.
• そんな 年寄としよりじみた 服ふく、まだ 早はやいよ。 — It's still too early for you to dress like an old person, isn't it?
• 説教せっきょうじみた ことは 言いいたく ないけど⋯⋯ — I don't want to sound preachy, but...

Grammar 4 / 4: ごとく

Nの / dictionary-form verb (が)＋ごとく: like ~ (the literary form of ように). Nの＋ごとき＋noun: a noun like ~ (the literary form of ような).

• Form: Nの ごとく / Nの ごとき N: Nの ごとく / Nの ごとき N. With a verb: dictionary form (＋が) ごとく, as in 流ながれるが ごとく.
• Meaning: like ~: It is the literary form of ように / ような: 風かぜの ごとく (like the wind), 山やまの ごとき (like a mountain, huge).
• Where it is used: Writing, speeches, dramatic or old-fashioned lines. When Grandpa says “五十年前ごじゅうねんまえの ごとく,” it sounds nostalgic. In everyday talk, ように is enough.
• Set phrase: 例年れいねんの ごとく: 例年れいねんの ごとく = as in every year. It is common in news and notices. A more casual version is いつもの ごとく (as always).

• 例年れいねんの ごとく、今年ことしも 町まちの 祭まつりが 開ひらかれた。 — As in every year, the town held a festival this year too.
• 彼かれは 風かぜの ごとく 走はしり去さった。 — He ran off like the wind.
• 山やまの ごとき 宿題しゅくだいが 待まって いる。 — A mountain of homework is waiting for me.
• 夢ゆめの ごとき 毎日まいにちは、すぐに 終おわった。 — Dreamlike days ended very quickly.
• 水みずが 流ながれるが ごとく、彼かれは 上手じょうずに 話はなした。 — He spoke fluently, like flowing water.