Which one should you use?
While 寿司が好きです means 'I like sushi', using daisuki instead of suki expresses a much stronger, more enthusiastic preference. For a more superlative statement, Sushi ga ichiban suki desu can be used to mean 'I love sushi the most'. If you want to use slang to say 'Sushi is the best!', you can say Sushi ga saikou!
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 寿司が大好きです is polite and suitable for most social situations, including speaking to strangers or acquaintances. By dropping the desu at the end to say 寿司が大好き, you make the phrase informal and suitable for friends or family. The version Sushi wa suki is also an informal way to say 'I like sushi'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In these phrases, the particle が (ga) is used to mark 'sushi' as the object of affection, which is the grammatical requirement for the verb 'suki' or 'daisuki'. If you want to express that you loved sushi in the past, you change the final verb desu to the past tense deshita (e.g., 寿司が大好きでした).
How do you pronounce it?
Sushi ga daisuki desu
Did you know?
- The word 'sushi' in 寿司が大好きです actually refers to the vinegared rice rather than the fish itself. If you were to say you 'love sushi' in a technical sense, you are expressing a love for the specific seasoning of the rice.
- In Japan, the phrase 大好き ('daisuki') is frequently used to express a strong preference for objects or food, but using it toward a person often functions as a direct confession of romantic love.
- Because Japanese is a high-context language, if you are already talking about food, you can omit 'I' and 'sushi' entirely and just say 大好きです (daisuki desu). This makes you sound much more like a native speaker than using the full, repetitive sentence.
Examples in context
- 寿司が大好きです。Sushi ga daisuki desu.I love sushi.
- 私は、寿司が大好きです！Watashi wa, sushi ga daisuki desu!I love sushi!
- 子供の頃から、寿司が大好きです。Kodomo no koro kara, sushi ga daisuki desu.I have loved sushi since I was a child.
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are discussing what to eat for dinner.
- 美咲 Misaki今日の夕飯は何がいい？Kyou no yuuhan wa nani ga ii?What would you like for dinner today?
- 健太 Kenta僕は寿司が大好きです。Boku wa sushi ga daisuki desu.I love sushi.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。私も好きです。Ii desu ne. Watashi mo suki desu.That sounds good. I like it too.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、お寿司を食べに行こう！Jaa, osushi o tabe ni ikou!Then, let's go eat sushi!
