사랑해 친구야
saranghae chinguya
The English phrase "I love you, friend" is translated into Korean as 사랑해 친구야 (saranghae chinguya).
This phrase is an informal way to express affection toward a friend.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is appropriate for close friends of the same age or someone younger. For a more formal way to say "I love you", you would use 사랑해요.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, 친구야 (chinguya) functions as a vocative, which is used to address someone directly. The suffix -야 is a vocative particle added to a noun ending in a vowel to address a person informally.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghae chinguya
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes say 사랑해 친구 by omitting the vocative particle, but in natural Korean, you should use 친구야 to make the address sound natural.
Did you know?
- Rather than saying 사랑해, Korean friends often express deep affection through 'food love' by asking 밥 먹었어? which means 'Did you eat?'
- If you wanted to call a friend 'best friend' in this phrase, you would use 베프 (be-peu), which is a slang abbreviation of the English 'best friend'.
- In Korea, the word 친구 (friend) strictly refers to someone of the exact same age. Using 사랑해 친구야 with someone even one year older or younger can be seen as an unusual or overly bold social choice.
Examples in context
- 친구야, 사랑해! 언제나 내 곁에 있어줘서 고마워.Friend, I love you! Thank you for always being by my side.
- 사랑해, 친구야! 너 없이 어떻게 살았을지 상상도 못해.I love you, friend! I can't even imagine how I would have lived without you.
- 사랑해 친구야.saranghae chin-gu-ya.I love you, friend.
- 늘 사랑해 친구야.neul saranghae chin-gu-ya.I love you always, friend.
Example conversation
Subin and Dohyun are saying goodbye after a fun day together.
- 수빈 Su-bin오늘 정말 즐거웠어. 사랑해 친구야!Oneul jeongmal jeulgeowosseo. Saranghae chinguya!Today was really fun. I love you, friend!
- 도현 Do-hyeon나도 오늘 진짜 좋았어.Nado oneul jinjja joasseo.I had a great time today too.
- 수빈 Su-bin조심히 들어가, 도현아.Josimhi deureoga, Dohyona.Get home safely, Dohyun.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워 수빈아, 나도 사랑해!Gomawo Subina, nado saranghae!Thanks Subin, I love you too!
