友達として好き
The English phrase "I like you as a friend" is expressed in Japanese as 友達として好き.
In Japanese, the word 好き can mean both "like" and "love", so adding 友達として is crucial to clarify that the feeling is platonic rather than romantic.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 友達 (friend), として (as/in the capacity of) and 好き (like).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding the particle よ to the end of 友達として好き makes the phrase sound more conversational and emphasizes the speaker's sentiment in an informal way. For a polite, complete sentence suitable for most social situations, you can use 友達として好きです.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding です to the end of the phrase, as in 友達として好きです, makes it a polite, complete sentence.
Did you know?
- While 好き can mean 'love', Japanese has a much stronger word 愛してる for deep, romantic love. However, 愛してる is used so sparingly that even couples in long-term relationships may rarely say it aloud.
- The word 好き is grammatically a 'na-adjective' rather than a verb. This means that in Japanese, you aren't 'performing' the action of liking someone, but rather describing your state as being 'fond of' them.
- Because Japanese relies heavily on context, omitting 友達として and just saying 好き can lead to a 'confession' (告白), which is a formal cultural event where one person explicitly asks another to date.
Examples in context
- 友達として好きよ。I like you as a friend.Tatoeba #11977679 by small_snow, translation #2377626 by CK
- 友好的な関係として好意を抱いていますI hold friendly feelings for you.
- 友達として好きだよI like you as a friend
- 友達として好きだけど、付き合えない。Tomodachi toshite suki dakedo, tsukiaenai.I like you as a friend, but I can't date you.
Example conversation
A girl clarifies her feelings to a boy after he confesses to her.
- 結衣 Yui大翔、ごめん。友達として好きだよ。Hiroto, gomen. Tomodachi toshite suki da yo.Hiroto, I'm sorry. I like you as a friend.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうなんだ。分かったよ。Sou nanda. Wakatta yo.I see. I understand.
- 結衣 Yuiこれからも仲良くしてね。Kore kara mo nakayoku shite ne.Let's keep being good friends.
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、もちろんだよ。Un, mochiron da yo.Yeah, of course.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
