Ever wondered how the Japanese express their feelings? Did you know that in Japan there are several ways to say love in Japanese? In this article, we will explain the different ways of saying I love you in Japanese, as well as distinguishing the three main ways AI, KOI and SUKI.
One of the most important words in any language is “love”. In Japanese there are 3 main ways to say you love a person:
- Ai [愛];
- Suki [好き];
- Koi [恋];
In addition, several variations and conjugations are used to express this feeling.
Japan is made up of 47 prefectures, each with different customs and dialects, so basically we can guarantee that there are over 100 ways to express love and affection with words in the Japanese language.
Table of Contents
How to say love in Japanese?
There are 3 main ways to say love or I love you in Japanese. The most common and generic is "suki desu" the name of our website. There is a more intimate one called "koi" and a more powerful one called "ai". Shall we differentiate each one of them?
Suki - 好き - It literally means "like". It is the most common way of saying that you love or like something, be it a person, food or something else. Before saying "suki" you can add "dai" to say that you like it a lot or even love it. The term "dai" [大] means great love.
Ai - 愛 - It literally means "Love". If it is followed by "shiteru" [愛してる], you are saying that you love the person in a more intimate way. "Aishiteru" is more used when you are in a serious relationship, married or engaged.
Koi - 恋 - It also means love, but in a more romantic, intense and fiery way. It can be translated as passion, it is used between people in an intimate way, a true love.
The Japanese, especially young people, also often use “rabu” [ラブ], an English word for love. When there is a romantic mood, people use the onomatopoeia raburabu [ラブラブ].
In short - I love you in Japanese can be:
- Aishiteru - 愛してる - I Love You in Japanese (super intimate, between couples);
- Koishiteru - 恋してる - I Love You in Japanese (I'm starting to fall in love with you);
- I like you - 好きです - I like you in Japanese;
- I love you - 大好きです - I really like you in Japanese;
The love present in Japanese ideograms
- 色 - Even the simple color kanji can be related to love, lust and sensuality;
- 情 - Kanji present in some words related to love that can indicate feelings, emotion, passion, affection and affection;
- 慕 — To follow, idolize, love, adore, admire, have affection, desire;
- 挑 - excitement, stimulation, provocation;
- 参 - This ideogram means confused, but it can portray the feelings of being in love, defeated, being madly in love;
Other words related to love in Japanese
- 恋愛 - renai - It means love, affections, making love, passion, and falling in love.
- 愛好 - aijou - It means adoration.
- 情け - nasake - Sympathy, mercy, affection, and love;
- 恋慕 - renbo - Tender emotions, passion and love;
- 片思い - kataomoi - Unrequited love;
Below we will see some more Japanese words that have the Kanji of love:
| Words with "Ai (愛)" | Words with "Koi (恋)" |
|---|---|
| 愛読書 aidokusho Favorite book | 初恋 hatsukoi First love |
| 愛人 aijin Lover | 悲恋 hiren tragic love, sad love, ruined |
| 愛情 aijou love, affection | 恋人 koibito Boyfriend |
| 愛犬家 aikenka Dog lover | 恋文 koibumi Love letter |
| 愛国心 aikokushin Patriotism | 恋敵 koigataki rival in love |
| 愛車 aisha favorite car | 恋に落ちる koi ni ochiru fall in love, fall in love |
| 愛用する aiyousuru favored, usual | 恋する koisuru be in love with |
| 母性愛 boseiai mother's love | 恋愛 renai romantic love |
| 博愛 hakuai philanthropy | 失恋 shitsuren disappointing love |
- Renai-kekkon [恋愛結婚] - A marriage for love;
- Miai-kekkon [見合い結婚] - Arranged marriage;
- Renai-shousetsu [恋愛小説] - A love story or a romance;
Japanese Proverbs about Love and Passion
Here are some Japanese proverbs that use the word KOI:
| 恋に師匠なし Koi ni shishou nashi | Love needs no teaching. |
| 恋に上下の隔てなし Koi ni jouge no hedate nashi | Love makes all men equal. |
| 恋は思案のほか Koi wa shian no hoka | Love is without reason. |
| 恋は盲目 Koi wa moumoku. | Love is blind. |
| 恋は熱しやすく冷めやすい. Koi wa nesshi yasuku same yasui | Love goes deep easily, but cools down quickly. |
Love in Japanese Tattoo and Gaara
A very common practice is to get a love tattoo in Japanese [愛], even Gaara from the anime Naruto has this red tattoo on his forehead. Without a doubt, if you want to tattoo love in Japanese, the ideogram AI [愛] is the most suitable. If you prefer, you can also tattoo the ideogram for passion KOI [恋] or a combination like [恋愛].
Using koto to say I love you in Japanese
You may have noticed that in Japanese culture the expression Koto [事] is used when someone expresses their feelings by saying I love you, as in the expression: anata no koto ga dai suki desu [あなたのことが大好きです]
Why do the Japanese use Koto in this expression? What is the importance of adding it? As Koto literally means figurative things, can we say that Koto [こと] in the sentence encompasses the object (you) more?
It would be as if I were saying “I love everything about you”, or everything about you. This expression makes it clear that you love the person in a romantic way, rather than simply saying that you like the person as someone.
It is quite essential, especially when we use the expression Suki Desu. We will be showing a genuine love, which focuses on quality and the inner person, on things unseen. Koto conveys the depth of your love for the person.
We also recommend reading: Thing in Japanese - Meaning of Koto and Mono
The act of declaring and expressing your feelings in Japanese even has an expression that is Kokuhaku [告白]. This word literally means to confess or declare feelings. Generally, the Japanese do this alone.
Tsuki ga Kirei [月がきれい] - The moon is beautiful
A poetic way of saying I love you in Japanese is the expression “The moon is beautiful”, that is, Tsuki Ga Kirei [月がきれい]. It all started with famous writer Soukeki Natsumi (1867-1916) who answered the question How do you translate “I Love You” into Japanese?
This writer is so famous that his face is stamped on the 1000 yen note. This expression also makes perfect sense, especially for those who cannot easily confess their love, and use expressions like this.
It has appeared in several anime, there is even an anime with that name that well represents the meaning of this expression.
月がきれいですね tsuki ga kirei desu ne
It is very likely that this expression was chosen because of the similarity between the word Tsuki [月] and Suki [好き], not to mention the fact that it uses the word beautiful and beautiful, like the Moon, a very romantic symbol.
Ki ni naru and Ki ni itteiru - Liking Someone
Although Suki [好き] is commonly translated as liking, it is usually used to show real romantic feelings for the person. And when are we just starting to like or like someone? There are other expressions for this purpose.
- Ki ni itteru [気に入ってる] = Is enjoying, liking;
- Ki ni naru [気になる] = Starting to like or enjoy;
An expression widely used by young people, especially in reality shows. Its use can also be used to things and objects. Even the internet like button is written using similar ideograms.
Romantic Expressions and Love Phrases in Japanese
Below we will leave a table with some phrases and expressions of affection in Japanese, so you can express your feelings with other beautiful words.
We also recommend reading: Singing and Romantic Phrases in Japanese
| Japanese | Romaji | Portuguese |
| あそびにいこう! | asobiniikou! | Let's go out together! |
| あなたがいないと 寂し | anata ga inaito, sabishi | I feel alone without you |
| あなたが恋しいです | anata ga koishii desu | Miss you |
| カップルです。 | kappuru desu | We are a couple |
| キスしたい | kisushitai | I want to kiss you |
| キスしよう | kisushyou | Let's kiss |
| さわっていい? | sawatteii? | Can I touch you? |
| ずっと一 緒にいたい | I want to be with you forever. | I want to be with you always |
| だきしめたい | dakishimetai | I want to hug you |
| デートに行こう! | deeto ni ikou | Let's meet |
| ハグしよう | hagu shiyou | let's hug |
| 一緒にいると楽しい！ | It's fun to be together | I have fun when I'm with you |
| 二人で行こう! | ikou's futari | Let's go together |
| 大事にしたい | daijini shitai | I value you |
| 守りたい | mamoritai | I want to protect you |
| 手をつなごうよ | te wo tsunagou yo | let's hold hands |
| 私と付き合ってください。 | watashi to tsukiatte kudasai | Date me |
| 結婚しよう | kekkonshyou | marry me |
I love you
わたしは、あなたを愛しています Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu
Love is like the wind, you can't see it, but you can feel it.
愛は風のよう、あなたはそれを見ることはできませんが、それを感じることができます。 ai wa kaze no yō, anata wa sore o miru koto wa dekimasen ga, sore o kanjiru koto ga dekimasu.
Love is just love, it can never be explained!
「愛」はただ単に「愛」である。説明なんてできない。 “Ai” wa tada tan ni “ai” de aru. Setsumei nante dekinai.
Suki Desu in 47 different dialects
Before we talk about love dialects in Japanese, we want to share a video we made summarizing this article. Below is a list of the 47 ways to say I love you in Japanese according to the dialects of the 47 prefectures of Japan:
- Aichi: Dera suki ya ni
- Akita: Suttage suki da
- Aomori: Tange da ba daisuki da yo
- Chiba: Daisuki
- Ehime: Daisuki yakken
- Fukui: Daisuki ya za
- Fukuoka: Bari suitoo yo
- Fukushima: Suki da
- Gifu: Meccha suki ya yo
- Gunma: Nakkara daisuki nan sa ne
- Hiroshima: Bari daisuki jake
- Hokkaido: Namara suki dassho
- Hyogo: Meccha suki ya de
- Ibaraki: Daisuki de shaanme
- Ishikawa: Suki ya yo
- Iwate: Zutto daisugi da sukai
- Kagawa: Suitoru ken
- Kagoshima: Wazzee sujjadoo
- Kanagawa: Daisuki
- Kochi: Kojanto suki yaki
- Kumamoto: Daisuki bai
- Kyoto: Honma ni suki ya de
- Mie: Meccha suki ya de
- Miyagi: Suki desu
- Miyazaki: Tege suki yaccha ken
- Nagano: Daisuki da yo
- Nagasaki: Suki bai
- Nara: Honma ni suki ya de
- Niigata: Daisuki da kan na
- Oita: Zutto zutto daisuki bai
- Okayama: Deeree suki jaken
- Okinawa: Deeji daisuki saa
- Osaka: Meccha daisuki ya de
- Saga: Gabai suitoo yo
- Saitama: Eree suki nan yo
- Shiga: Daisuki ya de
- Shimane: Daisuki da ken
- Shizuoka: Bakka suki da
- Tochigi: Honto daisuki da yo
- Tokushima: Honma ni daisuki ya ken
- Tokyo: Daisuki
- Tottori: Meccha suki
- Toyama: Suki ya cha
- Wakayama: Meccha suki ya de
- Yamagata: Honten daisuki da kan na
- Yamaguchi: Buchi suki jakee
- Yamanashi: Daisukkitsukon
Maybe you have a friend too lazy to read this giant article, the video can help with that:
Everyone knows that in a language there are dialects, slang and accents. In Japan this is even greater because the country is divided into 47 states, it has existed for thousands of years and also has a complexity in the pronunciation of the language due to the various readings of its ideograms.
For these and other reasons, there are thousands of ways to say "I love you" and even variations in the pronunciations of declaring it by saying "Suki Desu". Finally, let's leave some videos showing how to say "Suki Desu" in some dialects of Japan.
Now you learned to say I love you in Japanese? Do you know how to express love? Hope you enjoyed the article, thanks for sharing and commenting. We also recommend reading:
