我爱你
wǒ ài nǐ
The English phrase "I love you" is translated into Chinese as 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
我爱你 is an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I/me), 爱 (love) and 你 (you).
Which one should you use?
While 我爱你 expresses deep romantic love, 我喜欢你 (I like you) is a more common way to express romantic interest or 'liking' someone in the early stages of a relationship.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase follows a standard Subject-Verb-Object structure and does not change its form based on the gender of the speaker or the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ ài nǐ
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, the phrase 我爱你 is considered very intense and is typically reserved for serious romantic relationships rather than casual affection.
Did you know?
- In some online subcultures or via texting, young people use the numbers '520' to mean 'i love you' because the pronunciation of these numbers in Chinese sounds similar to the phrase.
- While 我爱你 is for romance, the word 爱 is rarely used for parents or children in traditional speech, where 疼 ('to ache' or 'to be sore') is used to describe a protective, nurturing love.
- In Traditional Chinese characters, the word 愛 contains the character for 'heart' 心, but in the Simplified version 爱, the 'heart' was removed.
Examples in context
- 汤没我爱你。Tom doesn't love you as much as I love you.This sentence compares how much someone loves you using 我爱你.Tatoeba #13943785 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #4391193 by CK
- 我说我爱你时是认真的。I was serious when I said I love you.This sentence is useful for expressing the seriousness of your statement 我爱你.Tatoeba #5551019 by verdastelo9604, translation #5573284 by n1ls
- “我爱你”用法语怎么讲？How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence shows how to ask for the translation of the phrase 我爱你.Tatoeba #8715888 by crescat, translation #2417967 by CK
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park during a sunset.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，我爱你。Jùnjié, wǒ ài nǐ.Junjie, I love you.
- 俊杰 Junjie雨婷，我也爱你。Yǔtíng, wǒ yě ài nǐ.Yuting, I love you too.
- 雨婷 Yuting你真浪漫。Nǐ zhēn làngmàn.You are so romantic.
- 俊杰 Junjie因为我真的很爱你。Yīnwèi wǒ zhēn de hěn ài nǐ.Because I really do love you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
