What does it mean word for word?
The word 大好き (daisuki) literally means "big like," which is the standard way to express "love" for things or animals in Japanese.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, daisuki is much more natural for expressing affection for a pet.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 私の犬が大好きです is polite and suitable for speaking to strangers or in standard social settings due to the addition of desu at the end. For a more formal way to say "I love my own dog," you can use Watakushi wa, jibun no inu o aishiteimasu. Conversely, Inu ga totemo suki da yo! is a casual way to say "I really love dogs!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle が (ga) is used here to mark the dog as the object of affection. This is because suki (like) functions as an adjective in Japanese rather than a transitive verb.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no inu ga daisuki desu
Did you know?
- The word 犬 (inu) can be combined with バカ (baka) to create 犬バカ (inu-baka), a term for someone so obsessed with their dog that they are 'stupid' for them.
- Japanese owners often use うちの子 (uchi no ko), meaning 'the child of my house', to refer to their dog instead of 犬 (inu).
- In many Japanese households, people may refer to their dogs using human-like honorifics, adding ちゃん (chan) to the dog's name to show affection.
Example conversation
Hina and Yota are looking at a photo of Hina's pet.
- 陽葵 Himari見てください。私の犬が大好きです。Mite kudasai. Watashi no inu ga daisuki desu.Look. I love my dog.
- 陽太 Yotaとてもかわいい犬ですね。Totemo kawaii inu desu ne.It is a very cute dog.
- 陽葵 Himariはい、いつも一緒にいます。Hai, itsumo issho ni imasu.Yes, we are always together.
- 陽太 Yotaいい関係ですね。Ii kankei desu ne.You have a great relationship.
