我爱你
wǒ ài nǐ
The English phrase "i love you" is translated into Chinese as 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
我爱你 is used to affirm romantic feelings. Because the phrase carries significant weight, it is typically reserved for serious romantic relationships or very intense declarations. For expressing romantic interest in a lighter way, you might use 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuān nǐ), which means "I like you".
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I/me), 爱 (love/to love) and 你 (you).
Which one should you use?
我爱你 is a heavy declaration of deep love. In contrast, 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuān nǐ) is a lighter way to express romantic interest or 'liking' someone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase for "I love you" is 我愛你 (ngóh oi nèih).
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 爱 (ài) does not change its form based on the subject or the tense of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ ài nǐ
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, saying 我爱你 is much more heavy and significant than in English and is typically reserved for serious romantic relationships or very intense declarations.
Did you know?
- Young people sometimes use the number sequence '520' (wǔ èr líng) in texts or social media as a shorthand for 我爱你 because the numbers sound similar to the phrase.
- The character 爱 (ài) originally included a symbol for 'heart' (心) in its center, visually representing the emotion's source.
- In some Chinese dialects or regional slang, people might express deep affection by asking if you have eaten, using phrases related to food to show care instead of saying 我爱你.
Examples in context
- 汤没我爱你。Tom doesn't love you as much as I love you.This sentence shows a comparison using the phrase 我爱你.Tatoeba #13943785 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #4391193 by CK
- 我说我爱你时是认真的。I was serious when I said I love you.This sentence is useful for expressing sincerity when using the phrase 我爱你.Tatoeba #5551019 by verdastelo9604, translation #5573284 by n1ls
- “我爱你”用法语怎么讲？How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence is useful for asking how to translate the phrase 我爱你 into another language.Tatoeba #8715888 by crescat, translation #2417967 by CK
- A: 你知道吗？我爱你。 B: 真的吗？我也爱你！A: Do you know? I love you. B: Really? I love you too!
- A: 你是我生命中最重要的人，我深爱着你。 B: 你的话让我感动得都快哭了。A: You are the most important person in my life, and I love you deeply. B: Your words moved me to the point of tears.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A quiet dinner at a restaurant.
- 俊杰 Junjie我爱你。Wǒ ài nǐ.I love you.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也爱你，俊杰。Wǒ yě ài nǐ, Jùnjié.I love you too, Junjie.
- 俊杰 Junjie你真好。Nǐ zhēn hǎo.You are so sweet.
- 梓涵 Zihan因为我也爱你。Yīnwèi wǒ yě ài nǐ.Because I love you too.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
