水泳が好きです
suiei ga suki desu
To say "I like swimming" in Japanese, use 水泳が好きです (suiei ga suki desu).
This phrase is used to express that you enjoy the activity of swimming. While 水泳が好きです means you enjoy the activity, 水泳ができます means you can swim.
What does it mean word for word?
The word for swimming, 水泳, is composed of the characters for water (水) and swimming (泳).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal structure, you can say 私は水泳が好きです or 水泳をするのが好きです. In informal settings, such as speaking with friends or family, you can use 私は水泳が好きだ or 水泳するのが好きだ. You can also make the phrase informal by simply dropping the ending to say 水泳が好き.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the adjective 好き (likable) followed by the copula です to express preference. In Japanese, the thing that is liked is marked with the particle が rather than the direct object particle を.
How do you pronounce it?
suiei ga suki desu
Did you know?
- In Japan, the word 好き can range from 'liking' a hobby to 'loving' a person, as Japanese lacks a separate, common word for 'love' in daily conversation.
- If you use the more casual form 水泳が好き, you are often omitting the subject 'I' entirely, which is a common way to avoid sounding overly self-centered in Japanese conversation.
- The character for swimming 泳 contains the 'water' radical on the left, which is a visual clue shared by many Japanese words related to liquids.
Examples in context
- メアリーと私は二人とも水泳が好きです。Both Mary and I like swimming.This sentence is useful for showing that both Mary and the speaker share the same interest in swimming using 水泳が好きです.Tatoeba #8971582 by small_snow, translation #8970664 by CN
- 子供の頃から水泳が好きです。Kodomo no koro kara suiei ga suki desu.I have liked swimming since I was a child.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their hobbies.
- 大翔 Hiroto大翔さんは、何のスポーツが好きですか。Daito-san wa, nan no supōtsu ga suki desu ka.Daito, what sport do you like?
- 美咲 Misaki私は水泳が好きです。Watashi wa suiei ga suki desu.I like swimming.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいですね。私も泳ぐのが好きです。Ii desu ne. Watashi mo oyogu no ga suki desu.That's nice. I like swimming too.
- 美咲 Misaki今度、一緒にプールへ行きましょう。Kondo, issho ni pūru e ikimashō.Let's go to the pool together next time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
