እወድሻለሁ
ʾəwädšalähuaddressee masculine
In Amharic, 'I love you' is expressed as እወድሻለሁ (ʾəwädšalähu). Wiktionary also lists እወድሃለሁ (ʾəwädhalähu).
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| እወድሻለሁ | ʾəwädšalähu | addressee masculine |
| እወድሃለሁ | ʾəwädhalähu | addressee feminine |
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling.
What does it mean word for word?
The form እወድሻለሁ is composed of the first-person prefix እ- (I), the root ወደደ (to love/like) and the second-person feminine suffix -ሻለሁ (you).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Addis Ababa, the phrase እድሜዬ ነሽ is used to say 'You are my love'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes based on the gender of the person you are addressing. Use እወድሻለሁ when speaking to a woman and እወድሃለሁ when speaking to a man.
How do you pronounce it?
ʾəwädšalähu
Did you know?
- In traditional Ethiopian culture, love is often expressed through 'wax and gold' poetry. A romantic message may have a 'wax' surface meaning and a hidden 'gold' meaning that only the lover understands.
- To express 'I love you' with extreme intensity, speakers might use the word አፈቅርሃለሁ. This uses the root for 'passion' rather than the root for 'liking' found in እወድሻለሁ.
- In many Ethiopian contexts, expressing love through food, such as saying 'you are my honey' (ማር ነሽ), is just as common as using the word 'love'.
Examples in context
- እወድሻለሁ።ewedishalehu.I love you.
- በጣም እወድሻለሁ።betam ewedishalehu.I love you very much.
- ሁልጊዜ እወድሻለሁ።hul gize ewedishalehu.I love you always.
Example conversation
A couple is saying goodbye for the day.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemመልካም ቀን ይሁንልህ።melkam ken yihunilih.Have a good day.
- ዳዊት Dawitአመሰግናለሁ፣ እወድሻለሁ።ameseginalehu, ewedishalehu.Thank you, I love you.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemእኔም እወድሃለሁ።eniem ewedihalehu.I love you too.
- ዳዊት Dawitበኋላ እንገናኛለን።behuala enigenagnalehu.We will see each other later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
