What Expressions Make Japanese Essays Look Childish? Moving Beyond 「みたいだ」 and 「すごい」

When writing essays in Japanese, there are times when your grammar is not really wrong, but the writing somehow looks a little childish.

One possible reason is relying too much on convenient words.

Two common examples are:

「みたいだ」, meaning “it seems like” or “it looks like”
「すごい」, meaning “amazing,” “great,” “very,” or “extremely”

Of course, these two expressions are not bad.

They are very natural in conversation, and they make it easy to express feelings.

However, if they appear many times in an essay, the writing can start to feel vague, shallow, or a little childish.

So what should you do?

The answer is simple.

You do not need to use more difficult words.

What matters is making your meaning just a little more specific.

In this article, we will look at why 「みたいだ」 and 「すごい」 can make essays look childish, and how to replace them with clearer expressions.

Why can 「みたいだ」 and 「すごい」 look childish?

There are two main reasons.

The first reason is that their meanings are too broad.

「すごい」 can mean many things: good, strong, big, impressive, surprising, high-level, and more.

It is convenient, but because of that, it becomes hard to see exactly what is 「すごい」.

The second reason is that they strongly feel like spoken language.

「みたいだ」 is very natural in conversation, but in essays it can sound a little light.

Especially in explanatory writing or opinion essays, expressions such as 「ようだ」, 「らしい」, and 「と思われる」 often fit better.

In other words, the writing looks childish not because the learner has no vocabulary, but because the words are too vague.

What impression does 「みたいだ」 give in an essay?

Look at the following sentences.

「彼はとても疲れているみたいだ。」
He seems very tired.

「この町は昔より静かになったみたいだ。」
This town seems to have become quieter than before.

「この映画は外国でも人気があるみたいだ。」
This movie seems to be popular overseas as well.

The meaning is clear.

However, as essay writing, these sentences feel a little conversational.

The important point is not that 「みたいだ」 must always be avoided.

Rather, in essays, the sentence becomes much more polished if you choose an expression according to the basis of your judgment.

Replacements for 「みたいだ」

1. 「ようだ」

「ようだ」 is the most basic and easy-to-use replacement.

「彼はとても疲れているようだ。」
He appears to be very tired.

「この町は昔より静かになったようだ。」
This town appears to have become quieter than before.

Compared with 「みたいだ」, 「ようだ」 sounds a little more formal and fits essays and explanatory writing more naturally.

When you are not sure what to use, simply considering 「ようだ」 first can already change the impression of your writing.

2. 「らしい」

「らしい」 is useful when the judgment is based on hearsay or general information.

「この映画は外国でも人気があるらしい。」
It seems that this movie is popular overseas as well.

「今年の夏はかなり暑いらしい。」
It seems that this summer will be quite hot.

However, 「らしい」 gives the feeling that the information is based on something you heard or read, rather than something you directly confirmed.

Therefore, when you are writing about your own observation, 「ようだ」 may be more suitable.

3. 「と思われる」

「と思われる」 is useful when you want your writing to sound a little more objective in an opinion essay or explanatory text.

「この制度には改善の余地があると思われる。」
It appears that this system has room for improvement.

「少子高齢化の影響が大きいと思われる。」
It is considered that the impact of the declining birthrate and aging population is significant.

This expression is a little formal for everyday conversation, but it is very useful in essays.

It gives the impression not of “I somehow feel so,” but of “After thinking about it, this can be judged.”

4. Say it directly

In fact, a sentence does not always need an expression of guess or judgment.

For example:

「彼はとても疲れているみたいだ。」
He seems very tired.

Depending on the situation, it may be more natural to write:

「彼はとても疲れている。」
He is very tired.

In essays, if you use too many expressions such as 「たぶん」, 「みたいだ」, and 「かもしれない」, the sentence can look weak.

When something can be seen clearly or stated as a fact, it is also important to write it directly.

Why is 「すごい」 convenient but risky?

「すごい」 is truly convenient.

「すごい景色」
an amazing view

「すごい人」
an amazing person

「すごい努力」
great effort

「すごく感動した」
I was very moved.

「すごく大変だった」
It was very difficult.

In conversation, this is often enough.

However, if 「すごい」 appears many times in an essay, the outline of the writing becomes blurry.

Readers want to know:

What is amazing?
Which point is impressive?
How strong or large is it?

In other words, reducing 「すごい」 does not simply make the writing look more advanced.

It makes the content easier to see.

Replacements for 「すごい」

1. If you want to express a feeling, name the feeling

「私はその映画を見てすごいと思った。」
I watched that movie and thought it was amazing.

As it is, this sentence can look a little childish.

The reason is that the reader cannot see what moved the writer.

For example:

「私はその映画を見て深く感動した。」
I was deeply moved by that movie.

「私はその映画を見て強い衝撃を受けた。」
I was strongly shocked by that movie.

「私はその映画を見て考えさせられた。」
That movie made me think deeply.

With this change, the content of the feeling becomes clearer.

2. If you want to express degree, use a more specific adjective

「彼はすごい先生だ。」
He is an amazing teacher.

This is natural in conversation.

But in an essay, it is better to write:

「彼は説明が非常にわかりやすい先生だ。」
He is a teacher whose explanations are very easy to understand.

「彼は学生からの信頼が厚い先生だ。」
He is a teacher who is deeply trusted by students.

「彼は知識が豊富で、指導も丁寧な先生だ。」
He is a teacher with rich knowledge and careful instruction.

In this way, writing what is being evaluated makes the meaning much clearer.

3. If you want to express size, amount, or intensity, choose words that match the content

「すごい雨が降った。」
It rained really hard.

「すごい人が集まった。」
A lot of people gathered.

In essays, these can be written more naturally as:

「激しい雨が降った。」
Heavy rain fell.

「非常に多くの人が集まった。」
A very large number of people gathered.

「会場には大勢の人が集まった。」
A large crowd gathered at the venue.

When you stop using 「すごい」, the scene becomes much more concrete.

4. Do not keep using 「すごく」 as the same adverb

「すごく難しかった。」
It was really difficult.

「すごく疲れた。」
I was really tired.

「すごく大切だ。」
It is really important.

These are convenient, but if they appear repeatedly, the writing can look childish.

The following replacements are easy to use:

「非常に難しかった。」
It was very difficult.

「かなり疲れた。」
I was quite tired.

「きわめて重要だ。」
It is extremely important.

「本当に大切だ。」
It is truly important.

「特に重要だ。」
It is especially important.

However, the answer is not to make every word formal.

It is important to choose expressions that fit the type of writing.

Less childish essays have explanation, not only impressions

Compare the following two examples.

「この本はすごくおもしろかった。主人公の考え方もすごいと思った。」
This book was really interesting. I also thought the main character’s way of thinking was amazing.

The meaning is understandable, but the writing looks a little childish.

Now compare it with this version:

「この本は最後まで興味深く読むことができた。特に、主人公が失敗を通して成長していく姿が印象的だった。」
I was able to read this book with interest until the end. In particular, the way the main character grew through failure was impressive.

In the second version, the reader can see what the writer felt and why.

Writing that looks mature is not writing that uses many difficult words.

It is writing that explains the reason or content just one step further instead of simply throwing out an impression.

A simple method you can use right away

When writing an essay, you do not need to delete 「みたいだ」 and 「すごい」 immediately.

It is fine to use them in your first draft.

The important part is revision.

When you find 「みたいだ」, ask yourself whether 「ようだ」, 「らしい」, 「と思われる」, or a direct statement would fit better.

When you find 「すごい」, ask yourself, “What is amazing, and in what way?”

Just adding one more specific word can change the sentence a lot.

Writing an essay is not the work of producing perfect Japanese from the beginning.

It is the work of gradually making your words more accurate afterward.

Review with example sentences

Sentences that can look childish

「この町は前より便利になったみたいだ。駅の近くにすごい店もできた。」
This town seems to have become more convenient than before. An amazing shop also opened near the station.

「彼はすごく頭がいいみたいで、先生もすごいと言っていた。」
He seems really smart, and the teacher also said he was amazing.

「この映画はすごく人気があるみたいだ。」
This movie seems to be really popular.

Revised sentences

「この町は以前より便利になったようだ。駅の近くには大型の商業施設もできた。」
This town appears to have become more convenient than before. A large commercial facility has also opened near the station.

「彼は非常に理解が早く、先生からの評価も高いようだ。」
He understands things very quickly and appears to be highly evaluated by the teacher.

「この映画は国内外で高い人気を集めているらしい。」
It seems that this movie is attracting great popularity both in Japan and overseas.

When you compare the two versions, the second version does not simply look more difficult.

Rather, the content becomes clearer.

That is the real reason why the writing looks less childish.

For a broader overview of reason and cause patterns, see the JLPT reason and cause expression guide. Confusing JLPT Reason and Cause Expressions

Summary

「みたいだ」 and 「すごい」 are both convenient expressions, and they are very natural in conversation.

However, in essays, relying on them too much can make the writing vague and childish.

Change 「みたいだ」 into 「ようだ」, 「らしい」, 「と思われる」, or a direct statement.

Change 「すごい」 into more specific expressions such as 「感動した」, 「印象的だった」, 「優れている」, 「非常に」, or 「大変」.

Just doing this makes essays much easier to read.

Good writing is not writing decorated with difficult words.

It is writing in which your thoughts and observations are placed in a form that the reader can clearly understand.

Related grammar guide: JLPT Inference and Judgment Expressions

If you want to learn the fine nuances of Japanese through example sentences and practice questions, visit https://rapid-jt.com/ and check how these expressions are actually used.