"I like you" - Watashi wa anata ga suki desu.
This is pronounced:
Wah-tah-shee wah ah-nah-tah gah sss-key deh-su
The sss part is just an extension of the trailing part of the sound when you pronounce 'S'
(Usually 'desu' is pronounced softly like "deys" with little emphasis on the 'su' part)
Note: This is a little formal and not very often used. The "I" can be omitted because the persons of the subject are quite obvious that you are stating your own opinion and no ambiguity arises.
An example in English context is "This looks nice!" instead of "I think this looks nice!" both mean the same thing but the shortened form is much more widely used and less off-putting.
People are lazy globally - its relatable isn't it?
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| Cherry_Blossom_Tattoo_by TheTempestOfNature |
Pronounced: ah-nah-tah gah sss-kee dehsu
Or just - Suki desu!
Pronounced: Sss-kee dehsu!
(It literally says 'like!', usually this is enough to get the meaning across that you like the person)
Now, "i like you" can be used to say that you like your friend(usually same gender) or, when you say it to a opposing gender it would be interpreted as a love confession instead.
By the way, the way to say "like you very much"
= Anata wa daisuki desu! (daisuki is pronounced 'dyee-Ssskey') see the above examples for pronunciation of the other words!
"Desu" is often used at the end of the end of each sentence for a not-too-informal way of speaking.
So please don't go around speaking with "deSU" it is WEIRD and not to mention, rude! If you do, never mention my name nor where you learnt it from.
"I love you" - Watashi wa anata ga aishiteiru
Pronounced: Wah-tah-shee wah ah-nah-tah gah eye-she-teh-ru
"Love you" - anata ga aishiteiru!
Pronounced: ah-nah-tah gah eye-she-teh-ru
"Love" - Aishiteiru
This is used in a confessing context only, the word for love in Japanese, its "Ai", "愛" or "Koi", "恋" not to be mistaken for the fish, Koi.
Again, this can be said independently to the person of affection.
Note that you DO NOT say this to a person you only have a crush on, this is usually said to someone you are already serious about or your lover. You don't say "i love you" to someone you met for a few weeks and ask him/her to go out with you right?
These are just the basic ways of saying "I like you" and "I love you". Of course there are many other ways to say them, I am just listing the simple ones to not confuse you.
Finally, in the context of Japan, confessing your love is quite an incident and usually not done casually nor openly like in western countries.This is because Japan is a conservative country. Feelings and emotions are rarely talked about in the open, politeness and formality are highly valued.
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| Yui from K-ON, taken during AFA10 |
PDA(Public Display of Affection)s also not widely accepted especially by the (hard core)traditional population, all these of course depend on the area of Japan you are in at that point of time.
Due to globalization though, the standards have slightly dropped especially in the city areas and among the teens in Japan. But as the saying goes, it doesn't hurt to be more polite than not. So, if in any case you are confessing your undying love to a Japanese in Japanese, say "Watashi wa anata no koto wa eien ni aishiteru, shinda nochi desu" -meaning "I love you eternally, even after i die."
On a side note, Japanese people prefer telling white lies to maintain a harmonious atmosphere than outright disagreements or boasting when they can be avoided.
(A certain topic to raise in the future)
Credits: The following pictures used do not belong to me at all in any way:
The cherry blossom tattoo design was retrieved from TheTempestOfNature.
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