사랑해
saranghae[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ]
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Korean as 사랑해 (saranghae). Wiktionary also lists 좋아해요 (joahaeyo) and 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo).
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 사랑해 | saranghae | [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦe̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 좋아해요 | joahaeyo | |
| 사랑해요 | saranghaeyo | |
| 사랑합니다 | saranghamnida |
These phrases are used to express romantic feelings. While the various forms of 사랑해 carry the weight of love, some speakers use 좋아해요 to express affection more subtly, as it literally means "I like you" and is often used in the early stages of romantic interest.
Which one should you use?
좋아해요 is a lighter way to express liking someone, whereas the forms derived from the verb for love carry a heavier emotional weight. 사랑해 is the most common and general way to say I love you in Korean, while 사랑해요 and 사랑합니다 increase the level of respect and formality.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms are categorized by speech levels.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghae
Did you know?
- The concept of 'love' in Korean culture is often expressed through actions of care, such as 'Have you eaten?' (밥 먹었어?), which functions as a practical way to show the affection behind the words.
- The word 사랑 has a historical connection to the word 생각, meaning 'thought', suggesting that in early Korean, loving someone was synonymous with thinking about them.
- In modern digital culture, Koreans often shorten 사랑해 to the consonants ㅅㄹㅎ when texting to make the confession feel more casual and less overwhelming.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence shows how to use 사랑해 in a conversation to emphasize your feelings.Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence is useful for asking how to translate the phrase 사랑해 into another language.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"This sentence uses 사랑해 in a casual, playful dialogue context.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park at night.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우야, 정말 사랑해.Hyeonu-ya, jeongmal saranghae.Hyeonu, I really love you.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo나도 너를 사랑해, 지은아.Nado neoreul saranghae, Jieun-a.I love you too, Jieun.
- 지은 Ji-eun고마워, 정말 행복해.Gomawo, jeongmal haengbokhae.Thank you, I'm so happy.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo나도 지금 너무 행복해.Nado jigeum neomu haengbokhae.I am also very happy right now.
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.
