大好き
daisuki[da̠isɨ̥kʲi]
daisuki is the Japanese phrase for "I love" or "I really like".
daisuki is used to express strong affection or liking for both people and inanimate objects, such as food or hobbies. While it expresses strong liking, it is less heavy and serious than the romantic expression aishiteru.
What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of the prefix dai, meaning "big" or "great", which intensifies the following word and suki, meaning "like" or "fond of".
Which one should you use?
daisuki expresses strong affection, whereas aishiteru is a much heavier and more serious expression used for romantic love.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, people often use the term めっちゃ好きやねん (Meccha suki yanen).
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this phrase in a sentence, you can add suffixes to change the politeness level. Adding desu to the end creates 大好きです, which is a polite form suitable for most social situations. Adding da to the end creates 大好きだ, which is a plain, assertive form often used in casual speech or literature.
How do you pronounce it?
daisuki
Did you know?
- The word suki is written with the character 好, which combines the radicals for 'woman' and 'child'. This visually represents the idea of a mother's affection or a natural liking.
- In Japanese, daisuki is grammatically a description of a state rather than an action. While English speakers say 'I love you', a Japanese person is technically saying 'you are greatly liked' by them.
- Because daisuki describes a state of being rather than an action, Japanese speakers often omit the subject and object entirely. Instead of saying 'I love you', they simply say daisuki and let the context do the work.
Examples in context
- 猫が大好きです。Neko ga daisuki desu.I love cats.
- このチョコレート、大好き！Kono chokorēto, daisuki!I really love this chocolate!
- 日本のアニメが大好きです。Nihon no anime ga daisuki desu.I love Japanese anime.
Example conversation
Hina and Yota are eating dessert at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himariこのケーキ、本当に大好き！Kono kēki, hontō ni daisuki!I really love this cake!
- 陽太 Yota陽葵は甘いものが好きだね。Hina wa amai mono ga suki da ne.Hina, you really like sweet things.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、大好きだから！Un, daisuki dakara!Yes, because I love them!
- 陽太 Yota僕もこのお店が大好きだよ。Boku mo kono omise ga daisuki dayo.I love this shop too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大好き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
