사랑해
saranghae[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ]
In Korean, "i love you" is typically expressed 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 affirm romantic feelings. In natural Korean speech, the subjects "I" and "you" are almost always omitted when the context of the affection is clear.
Which one should you use?
While 사랑해 and its variations express deep love, the phrase 좋아해요 literally means "I like you." In practice, Koreans often use 좋아해요 during the early stages of dating or to express affection more subtly than the heavy weight of 사랑해.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghae
Did you know?
- In many K-dramas, a character might express love not by saying 'I love you', but by asking 밥 먹었어? (Did you eat?), which serves as a culturally coded way to show care and affection.
- The concept of 'love' in Korean culture is deeply tied to 'jeong' (정), a word for deep attachment and collective feeling that goes beyond the individual romanticism of 'I love you'.
- Couples in Korea often celebrate '100-day anniversaries' rather than just yearly ones. Saying 사랑해 is a central part of these frequent milestones to maintain the passion of the relationship.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence shows how to use the informal 사랑해 in a conversation.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 demonstrates the use of 사랑해 in a dialogue.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 안녕! 사랑해!Hi! I love you!
- 나도 사랑해.I love you too.
- 선생님, 사랑합니다.Teacher, I love you.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in the park at sunset.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지야, 사랑해.Minji-ya, saranghae.Minji, I love you.
- 민지 Min-ji나도 도현이를 정말 사랑해.Nado Dohyeon-ireul jeongmal saranghae.I love Dohyun so much, too.
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워, 행복하다.Gomawo, haengbokhada.Thank you, I'm happy.
- 민지 Min-ji나도 행복해.Nado haengbokhae.I am happy too.
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.
