好き
suki
The English phrase 'like' is translated into Japanese as 好き (suki).
好き is used to express that you like something or someone. In a Japanese sentence, the object that is liked is typically marked with the particle が (ga) rather than を (wo).
Which one should you use?
While 好き means 'like', 大好き is used to express a much stronger feeling, often translating to 'really like' or 'love'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
好きやねん (sukiyanen) is a colloquial expression for 'I like' used in specific regions, such as Osaka.
How does it change in a sentence?
Although it is often translated as the verb 'to like', 好き is grammatically a na-adjective in Japanese. To express the negative 'do not like', you change the word to its negative form 好きじゃない.
How do you pronounce it?
suki
Did you know?
- In Japan, it is common to use 好き to express romantic love in a confession, as using the word for 'love' 愛してる is often seen as too heavy or dramatic for daily life.
- The concept of 'liking' via 好き has been documented in Japanese storytelling since the late 10th century, specifically in the work 宇津保物語.
- In social settings, Japanese speakers often avoid saying 好き directly and instead use phrases like いいですね 'that is good' to imply they like something.
Examples in context
- 彼が大好き！I really like him!This example is useful for showing how to express a strong liking for someone using 好き.Tatoeba #119670 by bunbuku, translation #283992 by CE
- 君が好きだ。I like you.This example shows a standard way to say you like someone using 好き.Tatoeba #179014 by wat, translation #410751 by CK
- 音楽は好き？Do you like music?This example demonstrates how to ask a question about liking something using 好き.Tatoeba #188279 by bunbuku, translation #386729 by Mouseneb
- 1790 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about food at a restaurant.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは何が好き？Yui-san wa nani ga suki?What do you like, Yui?
- 結衣 Yui私はお寿司が大好き。Watashi wa osushi ga daisuki.I love sushi.
- 健太 Kenta僕も好きだよ！Boku mo suki da yo!I like it too!
- 結衣 Yuiじゃあ、ここでお寿司を食べよう。Jaa, koko de osushi o tabeyou.Then, let's eat sushi here.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 好き, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
