彼が好き
kare ga suki
To say "I like him" in Japanese, use 彼が好き (kare ga suki).
This phrase is used to express either a general fondness for a male person or romantic attraction. The word suki is a versatile term that can mean anything from "like" to "love" depending on the intensity of the feeling.
Which one should you use?
You may also see the form 彼のことが好き. This version emphasizes "about him" (the person as a whole). To increase the intensity of your feeling from "like" to "really like" or "love," you can replace suki with 大好き to say 彼が大好き.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the ending of the phrase to change the nuance.
How do you pronounce it?
kare ga suki
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the phrase suki is often used in 'kokuhaku', a formal confession of feelings where one person officially asks the other to start dating.
- Using kare for 'him' is common, but in a romantic context it also specifically means 'boyfriend' regardless of whether the person is the object of a sentence.
- While suki is used for romantic attraction, using aishiteru for 'I love him' is extremely rare and often feels too heavy or dramatic for daily conversation.
Examples in context
- 彼が好きです。I like him.This sentence demonstrates a polite way to say "I like him."Tatoeba #120380 by bunbuku, translation #283629 by CK
- 彼は親しみやすい若人である。私は彼が好きだ。He is a personable young man. I like him.This sentence shows the use of the phrase in a context describing a personable man.Tatoeba #13810757 by Sh12, translation #10183732 by shekitten
- 彼を知れば知るほど、私は彼が好きになる。The more I know him, the more I like him.This sentence shows how to express that a feeling of liking someone develops over time.Tatoeba #95812 by mookeee, translation #307893 by CM
- 彼のことが好きです。I like him (emphasizing "about him").
- 本当に彼のことが好きだ。I really like him (emphasizing "truly").
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is talking to Kenta about a coworker she likes.
- 結衣 Yui実は、彼が好き。Jitsu wa, kare ga suki.Actually, I like him.
- 健太 Kentaえっ、本当にかれが好きなの？E, hontou ni kare ga suki na no?Eh, do you really like him?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、すごく彼が好き。Un, sugoku kare ga suki.Yeah, I really like him.
- 健太 Kentaそれは驚いたよ。Sore wa odoroita yo.That surprises me.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
