Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 愛してる | ai-shiteru | [a̠i ɕi̥te̞ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 君を愛している | kimi o ai-shite iru | |
| 俺はお前のことが好きだ | ore wa omae no koto ga suki da | |
| 俺はお前が好きだ | ore wa omae ga suki da | |
| 好きよ | suki yo | |
| 私はあなたが好きだ | watashi wa anata ga suki da | |
| アイ・ラブ・ユー | ai-rabu-yū | [a̠i ɾa̠bɯ̟ jɯ̟ː] (narrow) |
| 好きやねん | sukiyanen |
While 愛してる is a profound affirmation of romantic feeling, it is much less frequent than in English. Many speakers instead use forms based on 好き (suki) to communicate romantic love in a more natural, everyday way.
Which one should you use?
The form 愛してる is a very heavy, intense expression of romantic love. In contrast, the forms 好きだ or 大好きだ are the more common ways to express romantic affection, even if it literally translates to 'like'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more masculine and informal tone, one might use 俺はお前が好きだ or 俺はお前のことが好きだ. The phrase 私はあなたが好きだ is a standard way to express affection. In many romantic contexts, Japanese speakers often omit the subject (I) and the object (you) in 愛してる, as the context of a romantic relationship makes them implied.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region (Osaka/Kyoto area), you may hear the dialectal forms 好きやねん or 好いとんねん.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 愛している (ai-shite iru) is the grammatically complete continuous form, while 愛してる (ai-shiteru) is the more common, contracted spoken version.
How do you pronounce it?
ai-shiteru
When do people say it?
The katakana transliteration of the English 'I love you', アイ・ラブ・ユー, is sometimes used in pop culture or to add a sense of lightness or Western flair to the sentiment.
Did you know?
- In many Japanese romantic movies and songs, characters may express their deepest love by simply saying 月が綺麗ですね ('the moon is beautiful, isn't it?'). This is a famous, poetic way to imply 'I love you' without using the word for 'love' itself.
- The character 愛 (ai) used in 愛してる was historically rare in spoken Japanese and was largely reserved for written literature or formal poetry until the influence of Western translations.
- Because 愛してる is so intense, some Japanese speakers find it too burdensome or 'heavy' to say, fearing it puts too much pressure on the other person to reciprocate.
Examples in context
- 愛してるよ、リサ！I love you, Lisa!This sentence shows how to use 愛してる to address someone by name.Tatoeba #8736627 by small_snow, translation #9234969 by kedymera
- 心から愛してるよ。I love you from the bottom of my heart.This sentence uses 愛してる to express deep, sincere emotion.Tatoeba #10680320 by small_snow, translation #6133249 by carlosalberto
- あなた。大好きよ。Honey, I love you.This sentence demonstrates a casual use of 好きよ to show affection.Tatoeba #12698715 by small_snow, translation #2185162 by Hybrid
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are walking home together at night.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮、ずっと一緒にいたいな。Ren, zutto issho ni itai na.Ren, I want to be with you forever.
- 蓮 Ren僕もだよ。愛してる。Boku mo da yo. Aishiteru.Me too. I love you.
- 美咲 Misaki私も愛してるよ。Watashi mo aishiteru yo.I love you too.
- 蓮 Renこれからもよろしくね。Kore kara mo yoroshiku ne.I'm glad to have you in my life.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries 愛してる, アイ・ラブ・ユー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
