사랑해
saranghae[sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ]
In Korean, "i love you" is 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 Korean, the subject "I" and the object "you" are almost always omitted from the phrase 사랑해 when the context is clear.
Which one should you use?
While 사랑해 expresses deep romantic love, 좋아해요 is often used to express a crush or a lighter feeling of liking someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The level of formality changes the verb ending. One informal way to say it is 너를 사랑해.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghae
Did you know?
- While 사랑해 is the direct translation of 'I love you', Koreans historically found the phrase too intense and often substituted it with phrases about missing someone or eating together.
- The phrase 사랑해 is frequently paired with the 'finger heart' gesture, where the thumb and index finger cross to form a tiny heart.
- In many older Korean dramas, characters express love by asking 밥 먹었어?, which means 'Did you eat?'
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence asks how to translate the phrase 사랑해 into French.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- Romantic partner, 너를 사랑해.Romantic partner, neoreul saranghae.
- Close friend, 나 너 좋아해.Close friend, na neo johahae.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park at sunset.
- 민준 Min-jun지은아, 정말 사랑해.Ji-eun-a, jeong-mal sa-rang-hae.Ji-eun, I really love you.
- 지은 Ji-eun나도 민준아, 사랑해.Na-do Min-jun-a, sa-rang-hae.I love you too, Min-jun.
- 민준 Min-jun고마워, 행복하다.Go-ma-wo, haeng-bok-ha-da.Thank you, I am happy.
- 지은 Ji-eun나도 그래.Na-do geu-rae.Me 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.
