Grammar
N 같은 N
Meaning
IntermediateN gateun N
Attaches after one or more nouns to give examples of a category, meaning 'such as N' or 'N like this.' It presents the noun(s) as representative examples, not an exhaustive list.
Form
Attaches after a noun or a list of nouns: N(, N…) 같은 N. 같은 comes from the adjective 같다 ('to be like/same') with the modifier ending -은. It is always 같은 regardless of the preceding noun's final consonant, since it modifies the following noun.
Examples
치킨, 피자 같은 음식을 배달시켜 먹습니다.
People order food like chicken and pizza for delivery.
From: Baedal Minjok and Korea's Booming Food Delivery Culture
사과나 바나나 같은 과일을 좋아해요.
I like fruits such as apples or bananas.
서울, 부산 같은 대도시에 사람이 많다.
There are many people in big cities like Seoul and Busan.
저는 축구 같은 운동을 즐깁니다.
I enjoy sports like soccer.
Common mistakes & nuance
The nouns before 같은 are examples of the category noun after it, so the pattern narrows nothing — 치킨, 피자 같은 음식 is still about food in general. Read it as such as, not as a comparison; the same word in N과 같다 (to be the same as N) is a different pattern built with the particle 과/와.
Similar grammar
- N도 N도
N 같은 N gives representative examples, implying 'and others like these.' N도 N도 ('both N and N') lists specific items exhaustively, without implying there are more.