Ways to say it
| Tagalog | IPA |
|---|---|
| mahal kita | /maˌhal kiˈta/ (Standard Tagalog) |
| iniibig kita | /ʔiniˈʔibiɡ kiˈta/ (Standard Tagalog, word by word) |
| iniirog kita |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. While mahal kita is the standard way to express this in everyday conversation, other forms can change the tone to be more poetic or intense.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mahal kita is composed of mahal (love/dear) and kita, a pronoun that simultaneously means 'I [verb] you'.
Which one should you use?
mahal kita is the standard and most common way to express romantic love in everyday conversation. iniibig kita is a much more formal, poetic and intense version often found in literature or songs. iniirog kita is an archaic or highly literary form that is rarely used in modern spoken Tagalog.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'I love you too', you can insert din (also/too) between the verb and the pronoun to form mahal din kita. To intensify the feeling to mean 'love very much', you can repeat the word mahal to get mahal na mahal kita.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˌhal kiˈta/
Did you know?
- The word mahal used in mahal kita also means 'expensive' or 'costly' in Tagalog. This creates a beautiful linguistic link where loving someone is synonymous with valuing them as something precious or high in worth.
- The word mahal was borrowed from the Malay language.
- In Tagalog, the pronoun kita is a special 'enclitic' pronoun that combines the subjects 'I' and 'you' into a single word. This allows a speaker to express the entire action of 'I [verb] you' without needing separate words for the subject and object.
Examples in context
- Alam mong mahal kita.You know I love you.This sentence shows how to use the form mahal kita in a statement about knowledge.Tatoeba #12266620 by qwertzu, translation #3330899 by CK
- Mahal kita.I love you.This sentence is a direct use of mahal kita.Tatoeba #4639421 by ljmarcles, translation #1434 by awael58
- Mahal kita, Tom.I love you, Tom.This sentence demonstrates using mahal kita while addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #5361349 by kanlaon, translation #2765612 by CK
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic dinner at a quiet restaurant.
- MarkJasmine, mahal kita.Jasmine, I love you.
- JasmineMahal din kita, Mark.I love you too, Mark.
- MarkSalamat sa pagmamahal mo sa akin.Thank you for your love for me.
- JasmineLagi kitang mamahalin.I will always love you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries mahal kita, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (iniibig, kita) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries iniibig, kita, mahal, mahal kita, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
