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 |
The phrase is used to affirm romantic feelings. The term 愛してる carries a very heavy, serious and deep romantic weight, whereas words based on 好き (to like) are much more common for expressing affection in a lighter sense. For a Westernized or playful nuance, you can use the katakana transliteration of the English phrase, アイ・ラブ・ユー.
Which one should you use?
The choice of words depends on the level of seriousness. 愛してる is a heavy, serious expression of deep romantic love. In contrast, 好き (suki) is commonly used to mean 'I like you' or 'I love you' in a much lighter, less intense way.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several registers for expressing affection. For formal or emotional occasions, you might use 愛しています or the more specific 貴女を愛しています. To express love indirectly in formal settings, one might use 大好きです. For casual or affectionate speech, 好きだよ is common. In rough or very blunt masculine speech, particularly between men, forms like 俺はお前が好きだ or 俺はお前のことが好きだ are used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, such as in Osaka, you may hear the characteristic dialect forms 好いとんねん or 好きやねん to express affection.
How does it change in a sentence?
The common casual form 愛してる is a contraction of 愛している, where the 'i' in the continuous form is dropped in casual speech.
How do you pronounce it?
ai-shiteru
When do people say it?
In Japanese culture, 愛してる is used much less frequently than the English 'I love you' and is often reserved for extremely significant or dramatic moments.
Did you know?
- Japanese speakers often express 'i love you' indirectly by saying 月が綺麗ですね (the moon is beautiful, isn't it), a literary trope attributed to novelist Natsume Soseki.
- In traditional Japanese culture, romantic love was rarely expressed with words, and some believe that the word 愛 (ai) was not used for human love until the modern era.
- While 好き (suki) means 'like' or 'love', its kanji character contains the radical for 'heart' and the character for 'stop' or 'stay'.
Examples in context
- 愛してるよ、リサ！I love you, Lisa!This sentence shows how to use the form 愛してる to address someone directly.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 demonstrates the use of 愛してる to express deep emotion.Tatoeba #10680320 by small_snow, translation #6133249 by carlosalberto
- あなた。大好きよ。Honey, I love you.This sentence shows how the form 好きよ can be used.Tatoeba #12698715 by small_snow, translation #2185162 by Hybrid
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is walking through a park at sunset.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵、愛してる。Himari, aishiteru.Himari, I love you.
- 陽葵 Himari私も、陽太を愛してるよ。Watashi mo, Yota o aishiteru yo.I love you too, Yota.
- 陽太 Yotaずっと一緒にいようね。Zutto issho ni iyou ne.Let's be together forever.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、約束だよ。Un, yakusoku da yo.Yes, it's a promise.
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.
