Figures of Speech (Metaphor, Simile, etc.)

Simile

〜のように = like / as

Example

猫のように静か = quiet like a cat

Metaphor

〜だ / 〜のようだ

Example

彼はライオンだ = He is a lion

Personification

〜が〜する = giving human traits to non-humans

Example

風が歌っている = The wind is singing

Onomatopoeia

Sound words (ドキドキ, ワンワン)

Example

心がドキドキする = My heart is pounding

Hyperbole

Over-exaggeration

Example

千回言った = I said it a thousand times

Idiom / set phrase

Fixed expression with figurative meaning

Example

頭が痛い = Literally “head hurts,” meaning “I’m stressed”