사랑해
saranghae[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ]
In Korean, "I love you" is 사랑해 (saranghae). Wiktionary also lists 좋아해요 (joahaeyo) and 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo).
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 사랑해 | saranghae | [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦe̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 좋아해요 | joahaeyo | |
| 사랑해요 | saranghaeyo | |
| 사랑합니다 | saranghamnida |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. In Korean, the subject "I" and the object "you" are frequently omitted in the phrase 사랑해 when the context is clear.
Which one should you use?
While 사랑해 expresses deep romantic love, 좋아해요 is often used to express a crush or a strong liking for someone.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghae
Did you know?
- In many romantic K-dramas, characters might avoid saying 사랑해 directly, opting instead to use food-related phrases like 'Have you eaten?' to show care and affection.
- While 사랑해 is for romantic love, Koreans use the word 정 (jeong) to describe a deep, sticky emotional bond that develops over time through shared hardship or experience. It is a type of love that cannot be translated as 'love' or 'affection'.
- Many Korean couples celebrate '100-day anniversaries' rather than just yearly ones, often exchanging gifts and saying 사랑해 to mark the milestone of their first 100 days together.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence shows how to emphasize the phrase 사랑해 in a conversation.Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence uses 사랑해 to ask for a translation.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"This sentence shows an example of using 사랑해 in a dialogue.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Jihoon are walking together in a park at night.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈아, 나 너 진짜 사랑해.Jihoon-ah, na neo jin-jja sa-rang-hae.Jihoon, I really love you.
- 지훈 Ji-hun갑자기 왜 그래? 부끄럽게.Gap-ja-gi wae geu-rae? Bu-kkeu-reop-ge.Why are you being like this suddenly? It's embarrassing.
- 서연 Seo-yeon진심이야. 사랑해.Jin-sim-i-ya. Sa-rang-hae.I'm serious. I love you.
- 지훈 Ji-hun나도 사랑해, 서연아.Na-do sa-rang-hae, Seo-yeon-ah.I love you too, Seoyeon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries 사랑해, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
