So, you’ve fallen for someone Japanese and want to let them know? Trying to understand the intricacies of dating in Japan?
Perhaps you’re wanting to understand the new TV show or manga that you’re into, or maybe you just want to learn how to express affection in another language.
Whatever your reason, you’ve stumbled on a very interesting topic, and you’re in the right place! Here are some great reasons to learn how to say I love you in Japanese:
1. Learn to express yourself in Japanese
Expressing yourself in new languages is a great way to challenge yourself and expand your world, plus you never know when it’ll come in handy!
2. Further your understanding of Japanese culture
Through this topic, you’ll take a deep dive into some of the cultural differences between Western society and Japan.
3. Impress your Japanese partner, friends, family and avoid potential awkwardness
As you’ll learn, expressing affection in Japan is quite different to what you may be used to. By reading up you’ll make sure to know what to say to whom without committing a faux-pas.
4. Understand TV shows, manga, and music
One of the best things about learning to say I love you in Japanese is that it will give you a deeper understanding of your favorite Japanese media, as the nuances between different ways of expressing feelings is often lost in a literal translation of words.
Are you ready?
How to say I love you in Japanese
For starters, here’s a little context.
In Japanese culture it’s actually very uncommon to verbally express affection in the way that we are used to in the West. While it might feel normal to text “I love you” to your significant other at random points in the day, in Japan that would be considered extremely intense!
In Japanese culture, love is something you demonstrate, not something you tell. Affection tends to be shown through behavior and actions rather than using words. Even between people who’ve been together for years, it’s very rare for the words “I love you” to be expressed out loud, as the understanding is already there without either person feeling like it needs to be said.
To a boyfriend, girlfriend and/or romantic love
So, how do you say I love you in Japanese?
The literal translation of I love you in Japanese is 愛してる(aishiteru), but this isn’t very commonly used, even in romantic situations. It’s a very “big” word and concept, a poetic ideal that implies a love that has been built over time, with a deep and profound respect for the other person. Even if that’s the case between two people, it’s still rare to express that verbally.
More commonly used is 好きだよ(sukidayo), which literally means “I like you”. 好き(suki) is used exactly as you use the world “like” in English, so it’s appropriate for platonic situations and more generally to refer to anything you like. So for example, ラーメンが好きです(ramen ga suki desu) means “I like ramen”. But it’s also the most commonly used phrase for expressing romantic interest, with context being the most important thing in differentiating between romantic and platonic situations.
The place where you’ll hear 愛(ai) being used a lot is on TV dramas, films, mangas and music- these often use 愛(ai) to add dramatic and romantic value to the story or song, so just be aware that this isn’t a reflection of daily life.
Now that you understand the context, here are some expressions using 愛(ai). Just remember- you wouldn’t use these unless you’re already very close to the person in question, and even then only on very special and/or emotional occasions.
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| English | Japanese (Hiragana) | Japanese (Katakana) | Kanji | Japanese pronunciation spelled out in English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I love you | あいしてる | アイシテル | 愛してる | ai shiteru |
| I love you too | わたし・ぼくもあなたをあいしてる | ワタシ・ボクモアナタヲアイシテル | 私・僕もあなたを愛してる | watashi/ boku mo anata wo ai shiteru |
| I love you so much | すごくあいしてる | スゴクアイシテル | すごく愛してる | sugoku ai shiteru |
| I love you more | もっとあいしてる | モットアイシテル | もっと愛してる | motto ai shiteru |
| I love you very much | とてもあいしてる | トテモアイシテル | とても愛してる | totemo ai shiteru |
| I love you with all my heart | こころのそこからあいしてる | ココロノソコカラアイシテル | 心の底から愛してる | kokoro no soko kara ai shiteru |
| I love you more than life itself | いきてることよりあいしてる | イキテルコトヨリアイシテル | 生きてることより愛してる | ikiteru koto yori ai shiteru |
| I love you more than anything | なによりもあいしてる | ナニヨリモアイシテル | 何よりも愛してる | naniyorimo ai shiteru |
| I still love you | まだあいしてる | マダアイシテル | まだ愛してる | mada ai shiteru |
| I adore you | だいすきだよ | ダイスキダヨ | 大好きだよ | daisuki dayo |
To a friend, family member or platonic love
While the same rule applies that people don’t generally feel the need to use words to express that their love, when saying I love you in Japanese to a friend or family member, you would use 好き (suki) or 大好き(daisuki), which literally means “I like you a lot”, but carries the connotation of “love” when used in this context.
| English | Hiragana | Katakana | Kanji | Japanese pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I love you mom | だいすきだよ、まま | ダイスキダヨ、ママ | 大好きだよ、ママ | daisuki dayo, mama |
| I love you dad | だいすきだよ、ぱぱ | ダイスキダヨ、パパ | 大好きだよ、パパ | daisuki dayo, papa |
| I love you grandma | だいすきだよ、おばあちゃん | ダイスキダヨ、オバアチャン | 大好きだよ、おばちゃん | daisuki dayo, obachan |
| I love you grandpa | だいすきだよ、おじいちゃん | ダイスキダヨ、オジイチャン | 大好きだよ、おじいちゃん | daisuki dayo, ojichan |
| I love you all | みんなだいすきだよ | ミンナダイスキダヨ | 皆大好きだよ | minna daisuki dayo |
| I love you guys | あなたたちだいすきだよ | アナタタチダイスキダヨ | あなた達だい好きだよ | anatatachi daisuki dayo |
| I love Taco Bell | たこべるだいすき | タコベルダイスキ | タコベル大好き | takoberu daisuki |
| I love you as a friend | ともだちとして好きです | トモダチトシテスキデス | 友達として好きです | tomodachi to shite suki desu |
How to say I like you in Japanese
Ready to take the plunge and take your relationship to the next level? Want to know what to say to that person at the bar who’s been looking your way all night? This is the section for you, where we’ll learn ways of expressing romantic feelings at the earlier stages of a relationship.
Once again, we’ll use 好き(suki) and its variations, which are used to express all sorts of love. These phrases are also appropriate for people already in a relationship - in fact, given the heavy nature of 愛してる(aishiteru), you might be better off using these too.
| English | Hiragana | Katakana | Kanji | Japanese pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I like you | すきだよ | スキダヨ | 好きだよ | sukidayo |
| I like you lots | だいすきだよ | ダイスキダヨ | 大好きだよ | daisuki dayo |
| I like you so much | すごくすきだよ | スゴクスキダヨ | すごく好きだよ | sugoku suki dayo |
| I really like you | とてもすきだよ | トテモスキダヨ | とても好きだよ | totemo suki dayo |
| I like you too | わたし・ぼくもあなたがすきだよ | ワタシ・ボクモアナタガスキダヨ | 私・僕もあなたが好きだよ | watashi/boku mo anataga suki dayo |
| I want to see you again | またあいたいです | マタアイタイデス | また会いたいです | mata aitai desu |
| When will we see each other again? | こんどいつあえますか？ | コンドイツアエマスカ？ | 今度いつ会えますか？ | kondo itsu aemasuka? |
| I have a crush on you | こいしいです | コイシイデス | 恋しいです | koishii desu |
| Will you go out with me? | つきあってくれる？ | ツキアッテクレル？ | 付き合ってくれる？ | tsukiatte kureru? |
| Will you go out on a date with me? | デートに行ってくれますか？ | でーとにいってくれますか？ | デートニイッテクレマスカ？ | dēto ni itte kuremasuka? |
| Will you go out with me? (formal) | つきあってくれますか？ | ツキアッテクレマスカ？ | 付き合ってくれますか？ | tsukiatte kuremasuka? |
| I’m crazy about you | あなたにむちゅうです | アナタニムチュウデス | あなたに夢中です | anatani muchū desu |
| I think I like you | すきだとおもう | スキダトオモウ | 好きだと思う | sukidato omou |
| It’s love at first sight | ひとめぼれだ | ヒトメボレダ | 一目惚れだ | hitomebore da |
Will you marry me? in Japanese
Ready to pop the big question? Although many Japanese couples won’t necessarily say 愛してる(aishiteru), even during a proposal, it’s probably one of the situations in which you can definitely get away with saying the phrase without seeming over the top. Here are some other phrases that might come in handy.
English |
Hiragana |
Katakana |
Kanji |
Japanese pronunciation |
Will you marry me? |
けっこんしてくれますか？ |
ケッコンシテクレマスカ |
結構してくれますか？ |
kekkon shite kuremasuka? |
I will make you happy forever |
いっしょうしあわせにします |
イッショウシアワセニシマス |
一生幸せにします |
ishou shiawase ni shimasu |
I will love you forever |
いっしょうあいしつづけます |
イッショウアイシツヅケマス |
一生愛し続けます |
ishou ai shitsuzukemasu |
I can’t imagine life without you |
あなたがいないじんせいはかんがえられない |
アナタガイナイジンセイハカンガエラレナイ |
あなたがいない人生は考えられない |
anata ga inai jinsei wa kangaerarenai |
Will you make me the happiest woman in the world? |
せかいいちしあわせなおんなにしてくれますか？ |
セカイイチシアワセナオンナニシテクレマスカ？ |
世界一幸せな女にしてくれますか？ |
sekai ichi shiawase na onna ni shite kuremasuka? |
Will you make me the happiest man in the world? |
せかいいちしあわせなおとこにしてくれますか？ |
セカイイチシアワセナオトコニシテクレマスカ？ |
世界一幸せな男にしてくれますか？ |
sekai ichi shiawase na otoko ni shite kuremasuka? |
Let’s be together |
いっしょにいよう |
イッショニイヨウ |
一緒にいよう |
isho ni iyou |
Love quotes in Japanese
Want to take your Japanese to the next level? Here are some phrases and sayings about love in Japanese that you can use to impress your crush or loved ones.
| English | Hiragana | Katakana | Kanji | Japanese pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love someone and forget their ugliness. (Meaning: when you love someone, you see only their good parts) | あいしてそのしゅうをわすれる | アイシテソノシュウヲワスレル | 愛してその醜を忘る | ai shite sono shū o wasureru |
| Love will even reach the crows on the roof. (Meaning: a person who is in love will love even the crows on the roof) | あい、おくうにおよぶ | アイ、オクウニオヨブ | 愛、屋烏に及ぶ | ai, okū ni oyobu |
| Take love slowly (Meaning: It’s better to love someone bit by bit over a long period of time) | あいはこだしにせよ | アイワコダシニセヨ | 愛は小出しにせよ | ai wa kodashi ni seyo |
Romantic Japanese songs
Yuki no hana by Mika Nakashima
This famous song from 2003 has been translated and covered around the world. It’s a sentimental song about shared moments between lovers watching the first snowfall.
Ai-uta by GreeeeN
Here’s another classic, this time more upbeat, from boyband GreeeeN about someone that just can’t contain his love for his partner and needs to sing about it!
Kekkon Shiyouyo- Takuro Yoshida
And finally, a good vibe oldie from Takuro Yoshida called 結婚しようよ, or “Let’s get married”.
Ready to spread the love?
Now you should be feeling more confident about expressing love and romantic interest in Japanese, and understand some more about the nuances of Japanese culture. The general rule is: if in doubt, use 好き(suki) over 愛(ai), and make sure to back up your words with your actions!
If you’re still feeling shy about confessing your feelings, no fear- if you demonstrate your feelings through consistent kind actions, you’ll likely have just as much success as the characters on TV who seem to be constantly declaring their 愛(ai)!
And on the flipside, if your partner or the object of your affections doesn’t instantly return your declarations of love, remember that this is normal in Japanese culture and it doesn’t mean that they don’t love you! Just look out for other ways they are telling you – with little gifts, the way they look out for you and care about you.
