사랑해요
saranghaeyo
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Korean using 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 |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. In Korean, the subject "I" and the object "you" are frequently omitted, leaving only the verb to convey the full meaning of the sentence.
What does it mean word for word?
All the verb forms in this list are built from the root noun 사랑, which means "love".
Which one should you use?
While the different forms of "I love you" vary by politeness, you may also encounter 좋아해요, which means "I like you" and is often used as a softer or less intense way to express romantic interest.
How do you pronounce it?
saranghaeyo
Did you know?
- The word 사랑 (love) is sometimes linked to an ancient Korean concept of 'thinking' or 'longing', suggesting that to love is to constantly have someone on your mind.
- In South Korea, couples often celebrate their 100th day of dating with a special anniversary. This occurs long before the one year mark and is a key moment for expressing 사랑해.
- In modern Korean texting, people often use the shorthand ㅅㄹㅎ to mean 'I love you' by using only the initial consonants of the word.
Examples in context
- 사랑해, 듣고 있어? 사랑한다고!I love you, do you hear me? I love you!This sentence is useful for practicing the informal form 사랑해 in a conversational context.Tatoeba #8462526 by Eunhee, translation #3390938 by Hybrid
- "사랑해"를 프랑스어로 어떻게 말해?How do you say "I love you" in French?This sentence is useful for asking how to translate the informal form 사랑해.Tatoeba #8399411 by Eunhee, translation #2417967 by CK
- "에르나, 사랑해!" "너 취했잖아!""Erna, I love you!" "You're drunk!"This sentence shows how the informal form 사랑해 is used in a dialogue.Tatoeba #8556178 by Eunhee, translation #13117325 by moodz
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is having a romantic dinner together.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 정말 사랑해요.Minji ssi, jeongmal saranghaeyo.Minji, I really love you.
- 민지 Min-ji저도 현우 씨를 사랑해요.Jeodo Hyeonwoo ssireul saranghaeyo.I love you too, Hyeonwoo.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo고마워요, 정말 행복해요.Gomawoyo, jeongmal haengbokhaeyo.Thank you, I am so happy.
- 민지 Min-ji저도 지금 너무 행복해요.Jeodo jigeum neomu haengbokhaeyo.I am also very happy right now.
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.
