愛してる
Japanese
editThis entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. For other Japanese entries on this topic, see Love. |
Kanji in this term |
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愛 |
あい Grade: 4 |
on'yomi |
Etymology
editA phrase forming a complete sentence, consisting of 愛 (ai, “love”) + して (shite, conjunctive form of verb する suru, “to do”) + いる (iru, “to be, to be doing something”). The shite iru contracts in informal speech into shiteru.
Pronunciation
editPhrase
edit愛してる • (ai shiteru)
Usage notes
editThis literally just means “[someone] loves [someone]”, with the two “someones” (grammatical subject and object) understood from context.
Although common in popular media such as anime or J-pop, this expression is considered very intense in real life and is usually reserved for serious situations such as when making a marriage proposal, or telling a family member while on your death bed that the speaker loves them. A way to express these feelings in a less intense, i.e. romantic, manner would be to use 好きだよ (suki da yo) or 大好きだよ (daisuki da yo) which respectively mean to like/to really like someone.