チーズが好きです
chīzu ga suki desu
“I like cheese” in Japanese is expressed as チーズが好きです (chīzu ga suki desu).
This phrase is used to express a personal preference for cheese.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
チーズが好きです is a polite way to state your preference and is suitable for most social situations. If you use チーズが好きだ, the statement becomes informal or blunt.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle が is used to mark the thing that is being liked, in this case, the cheese. The word 好き is a na-adjective meaning “likable”, so the phrase literally translates to “cheese is likable”.
How do you pronounce it?
chīzu ga suki desu
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the particle を instead of が when expressing likes. Avoid saying チーズを好きです.
Did you know?
- The phrase 好きです is often used as a confession of romantic love in Japanese culture, making the phrase 'I like X' carry significant weight depending on who 'X' is.
- Because チーズ is written in Katakana, the alphabet used for foreign words, it visually stands out from the rest of the sentence. This makes the 'foreign' origin of the word immediately recognizable to a reader.
- If you were speaking to a close friend, you might omit the word 'I' entirely. In Japanese, it is often more natural to simply say チーズが好き rather than including the subject.
Examples in context
- チーズが好きです。chīzu ga suki desu.I like cheese.
- チーズが好きです。とても。chīzu ga suki desu. totemo.I like cheese. Very much.
Example conversation
At a cafe, choosing snacks.
- 陽葵 Himari健太さんは何が好きですか？kenta-san wa nani ga suki desu ka?What do you like, Kenta?
- 健太 Kenta僕はチーズが好きです。boku wa chīzu ga suki desu.I like cheese.
- 陽葵 Himari私もチーズが好きです！watashi mo chīzu ga suki desu!I like cheese too!
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、チーズケーキを食べましょう。jaa, chīzukēki o tabemashou.Then, let's eat cheesecake.
