読書が好きです
dokusho ga suki desu
In Japanese, 'I like to read' is expressed as 読書が好きです (dokusho ga suki desu).
This phrase is a statement used to express that someone enjoys the activity of reading books. You can modify the intensity of your liking or describe the reading experience using other words: とても means very, 本当に means truly and 大変 means greatly. To describe the nature of what you read, you might use the adjective 面白い (interesting), 興味深い (intriguing) or 刺激的 (stimulating).
What does it mean word for word?
The word 読書 (dokusho) literally means 'reading (books)' as a noun.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using a noun and using a verb phrase.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 読書が好きです is the standard polite form. To make the phrase informal, you can replace です (desu) with だ (da), resulting in 読書が好きだ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle が (ga) is used here to mark the object of one's liking, rather than the particle を (wo).
How do you pronounce it?
dokusho ga suki desu
Did you know?
- When talking about reading as a hobby, Japanese speakers often use the term 読書家 (dokusho-ka), where 家 (ka) denotes a specialist or professional, even for a casual hobbyist.
- To express a passion for reading, some people use the term 本虫 (honmushi), which literally translates to 'book worm'. This is used similarly to the English idiom but is more common in written descriptions.
- There is a specific Japanese word 読書灯 (dokushotō) which refers exclusively to a reading lamp, showing how the concept of 読書 (dokusho) permeates household objects.
Examples in context
- 私は読書を楽しんでいます。I enjoy reading
- とても読書が好きです。I really like to read.
- 子供の頃から読書が好きです。Kodomo no koro kara dokusho ga suki desu.I have liked reading since I was a child.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are talking about their hobbies.
- 陽葵 Himari健太さんは暇な時に何をしますか？Kenta-san wa hima na toki ni nani o shimasu ka?Kenta, what do you do in your free time?
- 健太 Kenta私は読書が好きです。Watashi wa dokusho ga suki desu.I like to read.
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね。どんな本を読みますか？Ii desu ne. Donna hon o yomimasu ka?That's nice. What kind of books do you read?
- 健太 Kentaミステリー小説をよく読みます。Misuterii shousetsu o yoku yomimasu.I often read mystery novels.
