猫が大好きです
neko ga daisuki desu
The English phrase "I love cats" is expressed in Japanese as 猫が大好きです (neko ga daisuki desu).
This phrase is used to express a strong liking or affection for cats.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 猫が大好きです is formal. For informal or plain styles, you can use 猫が大好きだ, 猫が大好きだよ or 猫が大好きなんだ. In casual conversation, the desu at the end is often dropped entirely, leaving just 猫が大好き.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the particle が is used to mark 猫 (cats) as the object of your affection.
How do you pronounce it?
neko ga daisuki desu
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word, 猫舌 ('cat tongue'), to describe a person who cannot eat hot foods or drinks.
- The word 猫 is used in the expression 猫の手も借りたい, which literally means 'wanting to borrow even a cat's paw' to describe being incredibly busy.
- While 大好き means 'love', in Japanese, using the word for romantic love, 愛してる, to talk about cats can sound unnaturally heavy or even slightly creepy to native speakers.
Examples in context
- 猫が大好きです。I love cats.This sentence is useful for expressing the statement "I love cats."Tatoeba #2199689 by superlearn, translation #1056416 by Mofli
Example conversation
Hina and Ren are talking about their favorite animals.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さんは、どんな動物が好きですか？Ren-san wa, donna doubutsu ga suki desu ka?Ren, what kind of animals do you like?
- 蓮 Ren僕は猫が大好きです。Boku wa neko ga daisuki desu.I love cats.
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね！私も猫が大好きです。Ii desu ne! Watashi mo neko ga daisuki desu.That's great! I love cats too.
- 蓮 Ren一緒ですね。Issho desu ne.We're the same.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
