Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 사랑해요 | saranghaeyo | |
| 좋아해요 | joahaeyo | |
| 사랑해 | saranghae | [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦe̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 사랑합니다 | saranghamnida |
The primary way to express an affirmation of romantic feeling is through forms of the verb meaning to love. While 사랑해 is a common and straightforward way to say "I love you", you can also use 좋아해요 if you wish to say "I like you", which is often used to express a crush or affection in the early stages of a relationship.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the intensity of feeling and the social context. 좋아해요 means "I like you" and is used for liking or affection, whereas 사랑해요 and its variations express deep romantic love. Among the love-based forms, 사랑해 is casual, 사랑해요 is the standard polite version and 사랑합니다 is the highly formal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The level of politeness is built into the verb endings. 사랑해 is casual, 사랑해요 is the standard polite form and 사랑합니다 is the highly formal form. In the specific phrase 난 너를 사랑해, '난' means 'I', '너를' means 'you' and '사랑해' means 'love'. Similarly, the phrase 저는 당신을 사랑합니다 literally translates to 'I love you' with added polite expressions.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghaeyo
When do people say it?
When expressing romantic feelings, you might also use the phrase 너랑 사귀고 싶어, which translates to "I want to date you".
Did you know?
- While 'I love you' is a staple of romantic media, Koreans often express the same feeling by asking 밥 먹었어? (Have you eaten?), as caring for someone's well-being is a profound way to show love.
- The word 사랑 for 'love' is sometimes linked by linguists to an ancient word for 'thinking' or 'counting'. This suggests that in early Korean, loving someone was closely tied to keeping them in one's thoughts.
- In highly formal settings or older generations, the verb 사랑하다 was historically rarely spoken aloud. Affection was traditionally shown through actions rather than verbal declarations.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence demonstrates the use of the casual form 사랑해 in an emotional context.Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence shows how to ask for the translation of the casual form 사랑해.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"This sentence shows a dialogue using the casual form 사랑해.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park at sunset.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은 씨, 정말 사랑해요.Jieun ssi, jeongmal saranghaeyo.Jieun, I really love you.
- 지은 Ji-eun저도 도현 씨를 사랑해요.Jeodo Dohyeon ssi-reul saranghaeyo.I love you too, Dohyeon.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워요, 너무 행복해요.Gomawoyo, neomu haengbokhaeyo.Thank you, I am so happy.
- 지은 Ji-eun저도 정말 행복해요.Jeodo jeongmal haengbokhaeyo.I am also very happy.
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.
