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How vì chưng Japanese people use “I Love You”?
Do you know how to say “I love you” in Japanese? You may have heard “ai shiteru” or “suki” as ways khổng lồ express love in Japanese. In this article we explain the Japanese nuances behind the love related words in Japanese.
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Introduction“I Love You” in JapaneseBeing in LoveOther forms of Love
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Introduction
– Tanaka sensei, how vị you say “I love you” in Japanese?
– Well, let’s see…
Learning a foreign language is less about mastering grammar, vocabulary, & conjugation. But getting to know a culture’s heart & way of thinking is definitely more important, don’t you think? & what is more intriguing & exciting than to lớn learn how to say “I love you” in another language?
The Japanese language is no exception. The least we can say is that there is already a tremendous amount of articles on how to lớn say “I Love You” in Japanese!That being said, they all seem to address the matter while ignoring the delicate subtleties of translation. Expressing your love in a foreign language is more difficult than it seems. Và in Japan, love is quite a serious affair.
“I Love You” in Japanese
One of the dearest kanji of all is certainly the one that symbolizes “love”, “affection” & “care”: 愛. Read as “ai”, you will combine this tiny little word with the verb “suru” (to do) to say “I love you”. Most of the time, the construction “Ai shite iru” will be used to translate a foreign movie or book “I love you”. This kanji expresses a strong and positive emotion of regard và affection. As it conveys committed feelings of love, the expression is used with care.
Ex: 彼女を愛している。Kanojo o aishiteiru“I love her”Note that the expression is transitive.
Doesn’t it sound like a sweet sentence you would use on someone you are interested in? Here are some otherSweet Words for Love in Japanese that you should definitely check out!
Being “in Love” in Japanese
The romantic or passionate love is distinguished with a lovely kanji, “恋” read “koi” or “ren”. Similar khổng lồ the previous, this little word can be combined with “suru” . “Koi” appears in the expression “to fall in love”, “lover” và “first love”. However, you cannot say “I love you” using “Koi”.
Ex: 彼女に恋している。Ex: “I am in love with her”.
Note that the expression is intransitive.
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恋に落ちる: to fall in love恋人: lover初恋: first love
Other Forms of Love in Japanese
Both kanji have for component the heart, 心 but they vày not convey the exact same love. One very important nuance is that “ai” implies a long lasting love, mature và somehow the expectation of reciprocity. “Ai” is used when one finally get the courage lớn declare one’s love: “愛の告白をする”( “ai no kokuhaku wo suru” ). The love in “ai” is not limited khổng lồ romantic love, but can express the affection for one’s family as in parent’s love: “親の愛” (“oya no ai”). The word is finally a general expression of love.
On the other hand “koi” is a passion, longing for the object of the affection. In a way “koi” is said lớn have a selfish aspect as the focus is on the expression of your feeling, more than on the object of the affection. “Koi” does not expect a reciprocity, leading us khổng lồ stories of disappointed love: “失恋” (“shitsuren”).
Combined, the kanji 恋愛 is read “ren’ai”, the tender affection two people can have, leading them khổng lồ a marriage of love: “恋愛結婚をする” (renai kekkon wo suru). The thắm thiết “love poem” & the rather sulfurous “love affair” are both based on the word “renai”.
恋愛詩: love poem恋愛事件: an illicit love affair
Is “Love”in Japanese limited to 愛 and 恋?
Of course not. Readers of manga and lovers of anime will tell you that “I love you” in Japanese is most often expressed by the colloquial “suki desu / da”, “好きです/だ”.
“Suki” means “to like” most of the time, as in “I lượt thích chocolate” or “I lượt thích baseball”. But when used with regard lớn another person, “suki” is (roughly) translated as “I love you” in Japanese, in a softer way than “ai”. The adjunction of “dai” 大 khổng lồ “suki” emphasizes the affection for the loved one: “I love you very much”. Don’t be fooled by Japanese popular culture, “suki da” is (really) not easy to tell when affection really matters.
This makes translating “suki da” into a lãng mạn “I love you”a matter that is largely dependenton the context. But if you’re really into someone và would still lượt thích to show your affection, simply địa chỉ a “とても (Totemo)” as a suffix khổng lồ indicate that you’d love someone VERY much. Nevertheless, bởi vì use it sparingly as it may come across as cheesy for some at the over of the day.
Also, you might also want lớn consider checking out the Tokyo Daijingu Shrine if you haven’t already done so! ;D Psst, it’s surprisingly close to lớn our school!
Reality of “I Love You” in Japanese: Don’t say it
You thought you were ready lớn declare your love lớn a Japanese? Well, that was a trap. In fact, Japanese vì not express their love openly and when they do, they vày not want lớn say it too lightly. Some will never meet the one lớn whom they feel inclined lớn tell “ai shite iru” or even “suki da”. The expressions analyzed earlier are actually barely used in natural conversations.
The idea that action speaks more than words is particularly true when it comes lớn Japanese’s expression of affection. For example, a rather famous and traditional way to lớn ask a woman in marriage consists of asking her “to prepare miso soup every morning”. The little things that you bởi vì everyday for your lover is worth more than all the time you could say I love you. Japanese men will be even more reluctant than women to lớn express it. If pushed khổng lồ utter those words, they will wonder about what “love” really is.
Being Indirect about your Feelings
Japanese people can be cryptic as hell when it comes to feelings và emotions. A (very) twisted way lớn say “I love you” in Japanesewould be “I do not hate you”: “嫌いではない”. Yes, you’ve read it right. Mainly used by men, this allows them to lớn express the desire khổng lồ be with someone without being too straightforward. This is since confessing one’s feeling may be considered way tooembarrassing.
So embarrassing that actually, when Japanese people were confronted for translating foreign text into their language, they got lost with translating the expression “I love you”. In ancient times, it was uncommon for Japanese khổng lồ use sweet words. Confused as how to convey the nuance and connotation, Natsume Soseki, a famous Japanese writer from Meiji Era translated it as “the moon is beautiful, isn’t?”: 月がきれいですね.
Such a poetic and beautiful way to lớn declare one’s love is worth fewer words, is it not?
Coto Japanese Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed & fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese learner.Coto Japanese Academy prides itself on its community atmosphere and fun lessons that focus on creation of opportunities lớn speak and learn Japanese. If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo – please visit our tương tác page here.
