Similes and Metaphors
A simile keeps the two things apart with सारखा, and a metaphor joins them as if they were the same.
How It Works
Two figures of speech carry much of the image-making in Marathi.
| Figure | How it is built | Example |
|---|---|---|
| उपमा (simile) | noun + -सारखा / -सारखी / -सारखे | तिचा आवाज मधासारखा गोड आहे. |
| रूपक (metaphor) | A + B, usually with आहे | लोकल ही मुंबईची जीवनवाहिनी आहे. |
-सारखा agrees with the thing that is described, not with the thing it is compared with. In बाळाचे गाल गुलाबासारखे लाल झाले, the ending is -सारखे because गाल is plural masculine. आवाज is masculine, so मधासारखा.
A metaphor needs no word of comparison. The speaker says that one thing is the other, so the reader feels both. आधारस्तंभ (the pillar of support), जीवनवाहिनी (the lifeline) and सागर (an ocean of love) are common choices.
म्हणजे can join the two halves of a metaphor: आजीचे मन म्हणजे प्रेमाचा सागर आहे.
An essay mixes both, and a good writer picks one image per idea and does not stack them.
Examples (5)
- तिचा आवाज मधासारखा गोड आहे.
Her voice is as sweet as honey.
-सारखा makes a simile and agrees with the masculine आवाज.
- तो आमच्या घराचा आधारस्तंभ आहे.
He is the pillar of our home.
A metaphor says that he is a pillar, with no word of comparison.
- बाळाचे गाल गुलाबासारखे लाल झाले.
The baby's cheeks turned red like roses.
-सारखे agrees with the plural masculine noun गाल.
- आजीचे मन म्हणजे प्रेमाचा सागर आहे.
Grandmother's heart is an ocean of love.
म्हणजे joins the two things in a metaphor.
- लोकल ही मुंबईची जीवनवाहिनी आहे.
The local train is the lifeline of Mumbai.
The metaphor calls the train a lifeline.
Common Mistakes
Making -सारखा agree with the wrong noun.
तिचा आवाज मधासारखी गोड आहे.तिचा आवाज मधासारखा गोड आहे.The ending agrees with आवाज, which is masculine.
Splitting -सारखा from its noun.
तिचा आवाज मधा सारखा गोड आहे.तिचा आवाज मधासारखा गोड आहे.-सारखा is joined to the noun.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Similes and metaphors compare.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Similes and Metaphors in Bubblegum
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