我爱你
wǒ ài nǐ
The phrase "i love you" in Chinese is 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
我爱你 is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling. While '我爱你' is used for romantic love, Chinese speakers often express affection to family members or friends through actions or by saying 我喜欢你 (I like you) rather than using the heavy weight of 我爱你.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I/me), 爱 (love) and 你 (you).
Which one should you use?
While 我爱你 is used for intense romantic love, you can also use 我喜欢你 (Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ) to informally express love and affection. For those in the early stages of a romantic relationship, an indirect way to express affection is to say 我对你有感觉 (Wǒ duì nǐ yǒu gǎnjué), which means "I have feelings for you".
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ ài nǐ
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, 我爱你 is often considered very intense and is used less frequently in daily life than the English "I love you" is used in Western cultures.
Did you know?
- In the digital age, young Chinese speakers often use the numbers '520' in text messages to mean 'I love you' because the pronunciation of 'five two zero' sounds similar to 'wǒ ài nǐ'.
- In many Chinese families, love is communicated through the phrase 吃饭了吗 (Have you eaten?), which serves as a functional substitute for 'I care about you'.
- The character 爱 was simplified in the 1950s to remove the 'heart' radical 心 from the center of the character. Some traditionalists argue that this literally 'removed the heart' from the word for love.
Examples in context
- 汤没我爱你。Tom doesn't love you as much as I love you.This sentence shows how to use 我爱你 in a comparison.Tatoeba #13943785 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #4391193 by CK
- 我说我爱你时是认真的。I was serious when I said I love you.This sentence is useful for showing how to express seriousness when using 我爱你.Tatoeba #5551019 by verdastelo9604, translation #5573284 by n1ls
- “我爱你”用法语怎么讲？How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence uses 我爱你 to ask for a translation into another language.Tatoeba #8715888 by crescat, translation #2417967 by CK
- 你对我很重要 (Nǐ duì wǒ hěn zhòngyào)You are very important to me
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic moment in a quiet park.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen伟，我爱你。Wěi, wǒ ài nǐ.Wei, I love you.
- 伟 Wei我也爱你，晓雯。Wǒ yě ài nǐ, Xiǎowén.I love you too, Xiaowen.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你真的这么想吗？Nǐ zhēn de zhème xiǎng ma?Do you really feel that way?
- 伟 Wei是的，我是认真的。Shì de, wǒ shì rènzhēn de.Yes, I am serious.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
