Why don't Japanese people say aishiteru?

They do, but rarely. 愛してる is deep and serious, and many people find it too heavy or embarrassing for everyday speech. 好き and 大好き carry everyday affection.

What is the difference between suki and daisuki?

大 means big: 大好き is a stronger 好き. Both work for people, food and hobbies. To a partner, 好き can mean I love you, and 大好き, I love you so much.

What does tsuki ga kirei desu ne mean?

月が綺麗ですね means the moon is beautiful, isn't it? A popular story says the writer Natsume Sōseki suggested it as the Japanese way to say I love you. There is no record that he did, but the line is known as a quiet, poetic confession.

How do you say I love you too in Japanese?

私も (watashi mo), me too, is enough, or 私も好き (watashi mo suki) and 私も愛してる (watashi mo aishiteru). Many men say 僕も (boku mo).

I love you in Japanese: aishiteru, suki, daisuki. Naraio

I love you in Japanese is 愛してる (aishiteru), but it is a heavy word that many people rarely say out loud. Couples more often say 好き (suki), I like you, or 大好き (daisuki), I really love you, and a love confession is usually 好きです (suki desu).

愛してる

Reading: あいしてる
Romaji: aishiteru
Meaning: I love you

Polite and casual

Form	Who and when
好きsukiCasual	I like you, I love you: the everyday word for romantic feelings.
大好きdaisukiCasual	I really love you: to a partner, and also to family, friends, a food.
好きですsuki desuPolite	The classic confession of feelings, to someone you want to date.
愛してるaishiteruIntimate	Deep, lasting love: a proposal, an anniversary, songs and films.
愛していますaishite imasuPolite	The same, in polite form: a letter, a wedding speech.

When to use it

Day to day, use 好き or 大好き with a partner. 大好き also works for family, friends and things: お母さん、大好き (I love you, Mom), ラーメンが大好き (I love ramen).

Keep 愛してる for big moments, if you use it at all: an anniversary, a proposal, a letter.

When not to

Early in a relationship, 愛してる can sound too heavy, or like a line from a TV drama.

好きです said seriously to someone is usually heard as a confession, even when you say it to a friend.

Examples

好きです。付き合ってください。
Reading: すきです。つきあってください。
Romaji: suki desu. tsukiatte kudasai.
I like you. Will you go out with me?
大好きだよ。
Reading: だいすきだよ。
Romaji: daisuki da yo.
I love you so much.
愛してる。
Reading: あいしてる。
Romaji: aishiteru.
I love you.
私も好き。
Reading: わたしもすき。
Romaji: watashi mo suki.
I like you too.
お母さん、いつもありがとう。大好き！
Reading: おかあさん、いつもありがとう。だいすき！
Romaji: okāsan, itsumo arigatō. daisuki!
Mom, thanks for everything. Love you!

bunka · culture

A love confession has its own word, (kokuhaku), and it often marks the start of dating. On Valentine's Day in Japan, women traditionally give chocolate, and on White Day, March 14, men give a gift in return.

Common mistakes

Using 愛してる as the default translation of I love you. In most moments, a Japanese speaker would say 好き or 大好き.
Saying 愛してる about things. For ramen, it is ラーメンが大好き.
Marking what you like with を. 好き takes が: 猫が好き, I like cats.

Say it out loud, with feedback

Knowing a phrase is not the same as saying it. In Naraio you practice phrases like these in short role plays with Hana, a tutor who listens, answers in natural Japanese and scores your pronunciation, and spaced reviews bring them back before they fade.

I love you in Japanese