我爱你
Wǒ ài nǐ
The phrase "I love you" in Chinese is 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 (to love) and 你 (you).
Which one should you use?
While 我爱你 is used for deep romantic love, 我喜欢你 (Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ) 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 verb 爱 (ài) does not change its form based on the subject or tense, so the phrase remains the same whether it is 'I love you', 'He loves you' or 'I loved you' (though context or time words are added for tense).
How do you pronounce it?
Wǒ ài nǐ
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, saying 我爱你 is much more intense and heavy than the English "I love you" and is typically reserved for serious romantic relationships or very profound declarations.
Did you know?
- In digital communication, young people often use the numbers '520' and '521' as shorthand for 'I love you' because they sound similar to the phrase in Mandarin.
- While 爱 is for romantic or profound love, the word 疼 (téng) is often used by elders toward children. While it literally means 'ache' or 'hurt', in this context it describes a protective and doting kind of love.
- The character 爱 (ài) contains the radical for 'heart' 心 (xīn) in its traditional form. This visually symbolizes that love must come from the heart.
Examples in context
- 汤没我爱你。Tom doesn't love you as much as I love you.This sentence uses 我爱你 to compare levels of love.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 uses 我爱你 to show the seriousness of a statement.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 uses 我爱你 to ask for a translation into French.Tatoeba #8715888 by crescat, translation #2417967 by CK
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is having a romantic dinner together.
- 梓涵 Zihan伟，其实我想对你说，我爱你。Wěi, qíshí wǒ xiǎng duì nǐ shuō, wǒ ài nǐ.Wei, actually I want to tell you, I love you.
- 伟 Wei我也爱你，梓涵。Wǒ yě ài nǐ, Zǐhán.I love you too, Zihan.
- 梓涵 Zihan听到你这么说，我真的很开心。Tīng dào nǐ zhème shuō, wǒ zhēn de hěn kāixīn.Hearing you say that makes me really happy.
- 伟 Wei我会永远爱你。Wǒ huì yǒngyuǎn ài nǐ.I will love you forever.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
