你爱我吗？
Nǐ ài wǒ ma?
In Chinese, the phrase "do you love me?" is expressed as 你爱我吗？ (Nǐ ài wǒ ma?)
你爱我吗？ is a direct question used to ask if someone has romantic feelings for you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you), 爱 (love), 我 (me) and 吗 (a particle used to turn a statement into a yes/no question).
Which one should you use?
While 你爱我吗？ implies deep, romantic love, the phrase 你喜欢我吗？ (Do you like me?) is a lighter expression often used in the early stages of attraction or for general liking.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, which uses an auxiliary verb like 'do' to form a question, Chinese uses the particle 吗 at the end of a declarative sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
Nǐ ài wǒ ma?
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, the word 爱 is so heavy and intense that many couples express love through acts of service or care rather than saying 你爱我吗？
- The character 爱 (love) contains the radical for 'heart' in its traditional form, visually linking the emotion to the physical organ.
- Because Chinese lacks verb conjugation, the word 爱 stays exactly the same whether you are asking 'Do you love me?', 'Did you love me?', or 'Will you love me?' Only the time-related words around it change.
Examples in context
- 当然爱你！Of course, I love you!
- 当然喜欢你！Of course, I like you!
- 你爱我吗？nǐ ài wǒ ma?Do you love me?
- 请告诉我，你爱我吗？qǐng gàosù wǒ, nǐ ài wǒ ma?Please tell me, do you love me?
Example conversation
A couple is having a serious talk in a park.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你爱我吗？yǔ tíng, nǐ ài wǒ ma?Yuting, do you love me?
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，当然爱你了。wěi, dāng rán ài nǐ le.Wei, of course I love you.
- 伟 Wei我只是想听你亲口说。wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng tīng nǐ qīn kǒu shuō.I just wanted to hear you say it yourself.
- 雨婷 Yuting我真的非常爱你。wǒ zhēn de fēi cháng ài nǐ.I really love you very much.
