Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 愛してる | ai-shiteru | [a̠i ɕi̥te̞ɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| 君を愛している | kimi o ai-shite iru | |
| 俺はお前のことが好きだ | ore wa omae no koto ga suki da | |
| 俺はお前が好きだ | ore wa omae ga suki da | |
| 好きよ | suki yo | |
| 私はあなたが好きだ | watashi wa anata ga suki da | |
| アイ・ラブ・ユー | ai-rabu-yū | [a̠i ɾa̠bɯ̟ jɯ̟ː] (narrow) |
| 好きやねん | sukiyanen |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. While English speakers use "I love you" frequently and casually, Japanese expressions of romantic love often carry much more weight and intensity.
Which one should you use?
The form 君を愛している is the full grammatical construction, while 愛してる is the contracted, more natural spoken version. The forms 俺はお前のことが好きだ and 俺はお前が好きだ are highly masculine and informal due to the specific pronouns used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
愛してる is a contracted and more natural spoken form compared to the grammatically complete 愛している. The forms 俺はお前が好きだ and 俺はお前のことが好きだ are very masculine and informal because they use 俺 (ore) for "I" and お前 (omae) for "you".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, such as the Osaka or Kyoto areas, you may hear the phrases 好いとんねん or 好きやねん.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the full construction 君を愛している, 君 (kimi) means "you", を (o) is the object marker and 愛している (ai-shite iru) is the continuous form of "to love".
How do you pronounce it?
ai-shiteru
When do people say it?
Because 愛してる carries such intense weight, it is often reserved for life-changing moments or extremely profound declarations. It is used much less frequently in Japanese than "I love you" is used in English.
Did you know?
- Because 愛してる (ai-shiteru) is so heavy, some people choose to express their love through the phrase 月が綺麗ですね (tsuki ga kirei desu ne), which means 'the moon is beautiful, isn't it'. This literary trope is attributed to novelist Natsume Soseki.
- Historically, Japanese people rarely used the word 愛 (ai) for love, preferring the word 恋 (koi). The word 愛 was largely reintroduced into common romantic usage through translations of Western literature.
- The phrase アイ・ラブ・ユー (ai rabu yū) is a phonetic transcription of English. It is sometimes used by Japanese speakers to soften the intensity of the sentiment, making it feel more like a lighthearted pop-culture reference than a heavy emotional vow.
Examples in context
- 愛してるよ、リサ！I love you, Lisa!This sentence shows how to use 愛してる to address someone by name.Tatoeba #8736627 by small_snow, translation #9234969 by kedymera
- 心から愛してるよ。I love you from the bottom of my heart.This sentence uses 愛してる to express deep, heartfelt emotion.Tatoeba #10680320 by small_snow, translation #6133249 by carlosalberto
- あなた。大好きよ。Honey, I love you.This sentence uses 好きよ to express affection.Tatoeba #12698715 by small_snow, translation #2185162 by Hybrid
- 私はあなたのことを大切に思っています。I deeply care about you.
- あなたは私にとって特別な存在です。You are a special presence in my life.
- 本当に大好きだよ！I really love you!
- 君って最高だな。You're amazing.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park at sunset.
- 陽太 Yota美咲、ずっと前から愛してる。Misaki, zutto mae kara aishiteru.Misaki, I have loved you for a long time.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太くん、私も愛してるよ。Youta-kun, watashi mo aishiteru yo.Youta, I love you too.
- 陽太 Yota本当に？嬉しいよ。Hontou ni? Ureshii yo.Really? I'm so happy.
- 美咲 Misaki嘘じゃないよ。大好き。Uso janai yo. Daisuki.I'm not lying. I love you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries 愛してる, アイ・ラブ・ユー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
