大好き
daisuki[da̠isɨ̥kʲi]
The English phrase "I love it" is translated into Japanese as 大好き (daisuki).
大好き is used to express a strong liking or fondness for something. In casual conversation, the subject (I) and the object (it) are often omitted, leaving just the phrase itself.
Which one should you use?
While 好き means "like", 大好き is used to express a much stronger "love" or "really like".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, people use 好きやねん to say "I love it" in a casual manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding です to the end of the phrase makes it polite (大好きです). Adding だ to the end makes it a plain statement (大好きだ), which is often used in casual speech or writing.
How do you pronounce it?
daisuki
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistake 愛してる (to love) for 大好き. While 大好き is common for expressing fondness for hobbies and food, 愛してる is extremely heavy and rarely used in daily life.
Did you know?
- When written in Kanji, the character 好 in 大好き is composed of the radicals for 'woman' and 'child', reflecting an ancient association with familial affection.
- In Japanese culture, expressing 大好き for a person can sometimes be considered a confession of romantic love, even if the speaker intends it as a platonic fondness.
- In many Japanese romantic relationships, partners may go years without ever saying 愛してる, relying instead on 大好き or unspoken actions to show love.
Examples in context
- 「辛いものって、好き？」「大好き」"Do you like spicy food?" "I love it."This example shows how to respond to a question about liking spicy food using 大好き.Tatoeba #11727272 by small_snow, translation #2961500 by meerkat
- 「またチョコ食べてる。よっぽど好きなんだね」「うん、大好き」「じゃあチョコとうちではどっちが好き？」「そんなのチョコに決まってんじゃん」"You're eating chocolate again. You really like that stuff, don't you?" "Yep, I love it!" "OK, well, which do you like better? Chocolate, or me?" "You know the answer to that. Chocolate, of course."This dialogue shows how someone might express a strong preference for chocolate using 大好き.Tatoeba #3320855 by tommy_san, translation #10765280 by end
- Watashi wa sono eiga ga suki desu. (私はその映画が好きです。)I love that movie.
- Watashi wa daisuki desu! (私は大好きです！)I really love it!
- Oishii ramen ga suki da. (美味しいラーメンが好きだ。)I love delicious ramen.
- Ano uta ga daisuki! (あの歌が大好き！)I love that song!
- この曲、大好き！Kono kyoku, daisuki!I love this song!
Example conversation
Daiki and Himari are talking about a new cafe.
- 大翔 Hirotoここのケーキ、おいしいね。Koko no kēki, oishii ne.The cake here is delicious, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、わたしここ大好き！Un, watashi koko daisuki!Yeah, I love it here!
- 大翔 Hirotoまた一緒に来ようか。Mata issho ni koyō ka.Shall we come here together again?
- 陽葵 Himariぜひお願い！Zehi onegai!Yes, please!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大好き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
