Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 我好鍾意你 / 我好钟意你 | ngo⁵ hou² zung¹ ji³ nei⁵ | colloquial |
| 我愛你 / 我爱你 | ngo⁵ oi³ nei⁵ | formal, literary |
This phrase is used to express romantic affection. In spoken Cantonese, using the colloquial form is the standard way to declare your feelings without appearing overly dramatic or cinematic.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase 我好鍾意你 / 我好钟意你, the word 好 functions as an adverb meaning "very" or "much" to intensify the emotion, while 鍾意 / 钟意 is the verb meaning "to like".
Which one should you use?
The colloquial form 我好鍾意你 / 我好钟意你 literally means "I like you very much" and is the standard way to express romantic affection in casual, spoken Cantonese. In contrast, the form 我愛你 / 我爱你 carries a heavier weight of "love" and is used in more formal or literary contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
我好鍾意你 / 我好钟意你 is the informal, colloquial way to express affection in everyday conversation. 我愛你 / 我爱你 is a more formal and literary version.
How do you pronounce it?
ngo⁵ hou² zung¹ ji³ nei⁵
Did you know?
- Many Cantonese speakers express love through 'acts of service' or food, such as asking 你食咗飯未? ('Have you eaten yet?') instead of using romantic phrases.
- The character 愛 in 我愛你 contains a radical for 'heart' in its traditional form, which is visually removed in the simplified version used in mainland China.
- In Hong Kong, the English phrase 'I love you' is sometimes inserted directly into Cantonese sentences to soften the intensity of the sentiment.
Examples in context
- 「寶貝，我好中意你，愛你到永遠。」Baby, I love you, love you forever.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
