엄마 사랑해요
eomma saranghaeyo
To say "I love you mom" in Korean, use 엄마 사랑해요 (eomma saranghaeyo).
This phrase is used to express affection and love to one's mother. In natural spoken Korean, the subject "I" is typically omitted because it is understood from the context and the object marker is also frequently left out.
What does it mean word for word?
엄마 (eomma) literally means "mom", and 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) is the polite form of the verb "to love".
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase casual or intimate, such as when speaking to family members, you can drop the 요 (yo) at the end to say 엄마 사랑해.
How do you pronounce it?
eomma saranghaeyo
Did you know?
- In Korean culture, expressing love through words like 사랑해요 can sometimes feel more 'heavy' or intense than in English, so many people express this affection through actions or food instead.
- The word 엄마 actually evolved from the older word 어미 (eomi) by adding a vocative particle and dropping the final sound, a common way Korean family terms are formed.
- The polite ending 요 in 사랑해요 is a grammatical marker that shows respect to the listener, even though you are speaking to your own mother.
Examples in context
- 안녕, 엄마. 사랑해.Hi, mom. I love you
- 엄마 사랑해요.eomma saranghaeyo.I love you, mom.
- 엄마 사랑해요, 항상.eomma saranghaeyo, hangsang.I love you, mom, always.
Example conversation
Hyunwoo is calling his mother on the phone.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo엄마, 잘 지냈어요?eomma, jal jinaesseoyo?Mom, have you been well?
- 서연 Seo-yeon응, 현우야. 너도 잘 지내지?eung, hyeonwoo-ya. neodo jal jinaeji?Yes, Hyunwoo. You are doing well too, right?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 엄마 사랑해요.ne, eomma saranghaeyo.Yes, I love you, mom.
- 서연 Seo-yeon나도 우리 아들 사랑해.nado uri adeul saranghae.I love you too, my son.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 엄마, CC BY-SA 4.0.
