私の大好物
watashi no daikoubutsu
In Japanese, "my favorite food" is said as 私の大好物 (watashi no daikoubutsu).
The phrase is used to describe the food that a person likes more than any other food. It carries a strong nuance of being a top favorite or a specialty food.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 大好物 consists of the characters 大 (big/great), 好 (like) and 物 (thing), which literally means "greatly liked thing".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of 私 (watashi) makes this phrase suitable for polite, standard conversation. In more informal settings, a speaker might use 僕 (boku) or 俺 (ore) instead. There is also an informal way to express this idea using boku no ichiban suki na tabemono.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle の (no) is used to link the possessive pronoun 私 (watashi – I/me) to the noun 大好物 (daikoubutsu – favorite food).
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no daikoubutsu
Did you know?
- The character 好 in 大好物 is also the root for 'koishii', a word used to express a deep, aching longing for someone or something.
- In a professional or humble context, a person might avoid saying 私の大好物 and instead use 好物をいただく (koubutsu o itadaku) to describe receiving their favorite food, emphasizing gratitude over personal preference.
- When talking about a 'specialty' of a region or restaurant, the characters in 大好物 are rearranged or modified into 名物 (meibutsu). While both involve 'things' (物), one is a personal love and the other is a public reputation.
Examples in context
- ピザは私の大好物です。Pizza is my favorite food.This sentence is useful for stating that pizza is your favorite food using the form 私の大好物.Tatoeba #197606 by bunbuku, translation #34792 by CK
- 寿司は私の大好物です。Sushi wa watashi no daikoubutsu desu.Sushi is my favorite food.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are talking about dinner.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんは何が好きですか？Misaki-san wa nani ga suki desu ka?What do you like, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiラーメンが私の大好物です。Ramen ga watashi no daikoubutsu desu.Ramen is my favorite food.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。僕も大好きです。Ii desu ne. Boku mo daisuki desu.That's great. I love it too.
- 美咲 Misaki今夜、一緒に食べに行きましょう！Konya, issho ni tabe ni ikimashou!Let's go eat some tonight!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
