What does it mean word for word?
チョコレート is the loanword for chocolate. が marks the thing that is liked. 大好き (daisuki) combines dai, big and suki, like, so it literally means big like. です makes the sentence polite.
Which one should you use?
好きです on its own means I like it, so chokorēto ga suki desu means I like chocolate, while chokorēto ga daisuki desu shows a much stronger, more enthusiastic preference. Chokoreto ga daisuki! is the informal exclamation. Chokoreto ga daisuki desu yo! adds emphasis and enthusiasm with the particle yo. Chokoreto wa saikō da! is an informal way to say chocolate is the best.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
チョコレートが大好きです and Watashi wa chokoreto ga daisuki desu. are polite. Chokoreto ga daisuki! and Chokoreto ga suki da! are informal. チョコレートが大好物です is a more formal way to say chocolate is your favorite food.
How does it change in a sentence?
大好き is a na-adjective, not a verb, which is why it is followed by です to make a polite sentence. In casual speech, Chokoreto ga daisuki da yo! uses da in place of desu.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced chokorēto ga daisuki desu. The ē is a long vowel, held a little longer than a short e.
Did you know?
- Japanese culture has a specific term 義理チョコ ('giri-choko') for 'obligation chocolate' given to coworkers or acquaintances regardless of whether the giver actually likes them.
- On Valentine's Day, Japanese women traditionally give chocolate to men, but ホワイトデー ('White Day') on March 14 is when men return the favor with white chocolate or marshmallows.
- Because チョコレート is a loanword, it is written in カタカナ ('katakana'), a script used specifically for foreign words and sounds.
Examples in context
- チョコレートが大好きです。Chokorēto ga daisuki desu.I love chocolate.
- 実は、チョコレートが大好きです。Jitsu wa, chokorēto ga daisuki desu.Actually, I love chocolate.
- 子供の頃から、チョコレートが大好きです。Kodomo no koro kara, chokorēto ga daisuki desu.I have loved chocolate since I was a child.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about their favorite snacks.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さんは甘いものが好きですか？Yui-san wa amai mono ga suki desu ka?Yui, do you like sweet things?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、チョコレートが大好きです。Hai, chokorēto ga daisuki desu.Yes, I love chocolate.
- 蓮 Renいいですね。僕も大好きです。Ii desu ne. Boku mo daisuki desu.That's nice. I love it too.
- 結衣 Yui一緒にお菓子を買いに行きましょう。Issho ni okashi o kai ni ikimashō.Let's go buy some sweets together.
