大好き
daisuki[da̠isɨ̥kʲi]
In Japanese, 'I love you a lot' is expressed as 大好き (daisuki).
The phrase 大好き is used to express a deep liking for someone or something. While it literally translates to 'big like', it is the standard way to say 'I love you' or 'I like you a lot' in most casual and romantic contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
大好き is composed of the character 大, meaning 'big' and 好き, meaning 'like'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make 大好き more polite and suitable for someone you are not yet on intimate terms with, you can add です to the end to form 大好きです.
How do you pronounce it?
daisuki
Did you know?
- While 大好き is common, using the word for 'love' in its most literal sense, 愛してる, can feel heavy or even cinematic. It is often reserved for profound, life-altering moments rather than everyday affection.
- The word 好き (suki) is an adjective in Japanese, not a verb. This is why you must use 大好きです instead of adding a verb conjugation to the end of the word to make it polite.
- In Japanese culture, expressing affection is often done through 'reading the air' or subtle actions rather than verbalizing 大好き. Overusing the phrase can sometimes make the speaker seem unnatural or overly dramatic.
Examples in context
- 友達、大好きだよ！Friend, I really love you!
- このチョコレート、大好き。Kono chokorēto, daisuki.I love this chocolate a lot.
- 君のことが大好きだよ。Kimi no koto ga daisuki da yo.I love you a lot.
- 猫が大好きなんです。Neko ga daisuki nan desu.I love cats a lot.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are walking in a park together.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵、君のことが大好きだよ。Himari, kimi no koto ga daisuki da yo.Himari, I love you a lot.
- 陽葵 Himari本当？私も健太のことが大好き。Hontō? Watashi mo Kenta no koto ga daisuki.Really? I love you a lot too, Kenta.
- 健太 Kenta嬉しいな。ずっと一緒にいようね。Ureshii na. Zutto issho ni iyō ne.I'm so happy. Let's stay together forever.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、大好きだよ。Un, daisuki da yo.Yes, I love you a lot.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 大好き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
