これが好き
kore ga suki
In Japanese, "i like this" is said as これが好き (kore ga suki).
The phrase is used to express that the speaker has a positive feeling toward a specific object or person.
What does it mean word for word?
In this construction, the particle が is used to mark the object of one's affection.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai Dialect, you may hear これええな to mean "This is good."
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the particle が marks the thing being liked. Adding です to the end of the phrase これが好き makes it a polite expression.
How do you pronounce it?
kore ga suki
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying これを好き. English speakers often mistakenly use the particle を instead of が, but because 好き is a na-adjective, it requires が to mark the thing liked.
Did you know?
- In romantic contexts, saying 好き can be a formal confession of love. In these cases, it functions as a definitive 'I love you' rather than a casual preference.
- When expressing that you like something, Japanese speakers often omit the word 'I' 私 entirely. Including it can sometimes make the statement sound unnaturally insistent or self-centered.
- To avoid being too direct, Japanese people often say いいですね meaning 'that is good' instead of 好き when they like something. This maintains social harmony by focusing on the object rather than the speaker's ego.
Examples in context
- 私はこれが好きです。I like this.This sentence is useful for practicing the polite version of the phrase using これが好き.Tatoeba #4975915 by rachie, translation #2245943 by CK
- これが好き。kore ga suki.I like this.
- 新しいデザイン、これが好き！atarashii dezain, kore ga suki!I like this new design!
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are looking at items in a stationery shop.
- 健太 Kentaこのペン、どう思う？kono pen, dou omou?What do you think of this pen?
- 結衣 Yuiこれが好き！色がとてもきれい。kore ga suki! iro ga totemo kirei.I like this! The color is very beautiful.
- 健太 Kenta結衣なら、これが似合うと思うよ。Yui nara, kore ga niau to omou yo.I think this would suit you, Yui.
- 結衣 Yui本当？じゃあ、これにするね。hontou? jaa, kore ni suru ne.Really? Then I'll take this one.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
