お母さん、大好き
Okaasan, daisuki
The English phrase "mom, I love you" is translated into Japanese as お母さん、大好き (Okaasan, daisuki).
This phrase is an expression of affection used to tell one's mother that you love her.
Which one should you use?
While daisuki is the most common way to express affection, aishiteru is a more intense, heavy and serious way to say "I love you". Additionally, using ママ instead of お母さん changes the tone of the address.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お母さん is a commonly used polite term for "mom." For a more casual, childlike or highly intimate way to address a mother, you can use ママ. To make the expression お母さん、大好き more polite and complete, you can add です to the end to say お母さん、大好きです. There is also an informal version, お母さん、愛してるよ, which translates to "Mom, I love you".
How do you pronounce it?
Okaasan, daisuki
Did you know?
- In many Japanese households, affection is often shown through actions or quiet presence rather than verbalizing 大好き or 愛してる, which can sometimes feel out of place in a traditional setting.
- The word 愛 in 愛してる was historically rare in spoken Japanese and was largely associated with translated Western literature and film.
- Japanese has various words for 'mother' depending on whose mother is being discussed. While you use お母さん for your own mother when speaking to her, you might use 母 when speaking about her to a stranger.
Examples in context
- お母さん、大好き。Okaasan, daisuki.Mom, I love you.
- お母さん、大好きだよ。Okaasan, daisuki da yo.Mom, I love you, you know.
Example conversation
A child gives a handmade card to their mother.
- 陽太 Yotaお母さん、これプレゼント！Okāsan, kore purezento!Mom, this is a present for you!
- 美咲 Misakiわあ、嬉しいわ！ありがとう。Wā, ureshii wa! Arigatō.Wow, I'm so happy! Thank you.
- 陽太 Yotaお母さん、大好き！Okāsan, daisuki!Mom, I love you!
- 美咲 Misaki私も陽太が大好きよ。Watashi mo Yōta ga daisuki yo.I love you too, Yota.
