Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أُحِبُّكِ | ʔuḥibbuki | addressee masculine |
| أُحِبُّكَ | ʔuḥibbuka | addressee masculine |
أُحِبُّكِ (ʔuḥibbuki) is the way a speaker tells a woman "I love you". It is said to a partner, a daughter, a mother or a close female friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The word starts with the verb meaning "I love" and ends with the attached pronoun for "you" when speaking to a woman.
Which one should you use?
The ending shows who is addressed. أُحِبُّكِ (ʔuḥibbuki), ending in i, is said to a woman, while أُحِبُّكَ (ʔuḥibbuka), ending in a, is said to a man.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In everyday spoken dialects the final vowel is often dropped or changed, but أُحِبُّكِ is the standard written form understood everywhere.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ʔuḥibbuki. The ʔ marks a short catch in the throat at the start, the ḥ is a breathy h from deep in the throat and the double b is held a little longer.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use أُحِبُّكَ for a woman. The final vowel is what makes the phrase address her.
Did you know?
- In some dialects, saying أُحِبُّكَ can be replaced by the phrase تقبرني (tuqburni), which literally means 'may you bury me'. It is a term of extreme endearment implying the speaker hopes to die before the other person because life without them would be unbearable.
- To express a deeper, more spiritual or soul-binding love, speakers may use the phrase أعشقك (a'shaquka/ki). This word is derived from عشق (ishq), which historically referred to a passion so intense it was compared to an ivy plant clinging to a tree.
- Arabic has over eleven different words for 'love' depending on the stage and type of emotion. While أُحِبُّكَ is the general term, other words distinguish between 'infatuation', 'deep longing' and 'companionate love'.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Ziad and Sarah are having a romantic dinner.
- سارة Saraأنتِ تبدين جميلة جداً اليوم.anti tabdeena jameela jiddan al-yawm.You look very beautiful today.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لك يا زياد، أنت لطيف جداً.shukran laka ya Ziyad, anta lateef jiddan.Thank you Ziad, you are very kind.
- سارة Saraأنا أُحِبُّكِ يا سارة.ana uhibbuki ya Sarah.I love you, Sarah.
- زياد Ziadوأنا أيضاً أُحِبُّكَ.wa ana aydan uhibbuka.And I love you too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
