사랑해요
saranghaeyo
In Korean, "I love you" is expressed as 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo). Wiktionary also lists 좋아해요 (joahaeyo) and 사랑해 (saranghae).
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 사랑해요 | saranghaeyo | |
| 좋아해요 | joahaeyo | |
| 사랑해 | saranghae | [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦɛ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰa̠ɾa̠ŋɦe̞] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 사랑합니다 | saranghamnida |
The phrase is used to affirm romantic feelings. In practice, the subject "I" and the object "you" are frequently omitted from the phrase, as the context makes them clear.
Which one should you use?
While 사랑해요 and its variants express love, the form 좋아해요 means "I like you" and is often used as a softer or less intense way to express romantic interest.
How does it change in a sentence?
사랑해요 is the standard polite version. 사랑합니다 is the highly formal version.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghaeyo
Did you know?
- Korean has a distinct word 정 (jeong), which describes a deep, collective feeling of attachment and love that is different from the romantic passion of 사랑.
- In text messaging, Koreans often use the shorthand ㅅㄹㅎ to express 'love' by using only the initial consonants of 사랑해.
- In traditional Korean culture, parents rarely say 사랑해요 to their children, preferring to show love through actions like preparing food or providing support.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence shows how to use 사랑해 in a conversation.Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence uses 사랑해 in a question about translation.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"This sentence provides a dialogue example using 사랑해.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic dinner at a restaurant.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 저를 정말 사랑해요?Dohyeon-ssi, jeoreul jeongmal saranghaeyo?Dohyeon, do you really love me?
- 도현 Do-hyeon당연하죠. 수빈 씨를 정말 사랑해요.Dangyeonhajyo. Subin-ssireul jeongmal saranghaeyo.Of course. I love you, Subin.
- 수빈 Su-bin그 말을 들으니 너무 행복해요.Geu mareul deureuni neomu haengbokhaeyo.I am so happy to hear that.
- 도현 Do-hyeon저도 정말 행복해요.Jeodo jeongmal haengbokhaeyo.I am also very happy.
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.
