I have noticed that there is a lot of confusion about the meaning of the Japanese word “daisuki” (大好き). Does it mean “love” or just “like“? In this detailed blog post, I’m going to tell you all you need to know about the Japanese meaning, English translations, and use of the word “daisuki“. Let’s start with a quick answer to what “daisuki” means.
The Japanese word “daisuki” (大好き) means “love” or “like very much”. When said to a person it usually expresses romantic feelings towards them and has the same meaning as “I love you” in English. However, when used to talk about something it also translates as “I’m really into…” or “I really like…”.
Now that we have the quick answer let’s take a detailed look at what “daisuki” (大好き) means and how to use it in Japanese. You will find many example sentences and the explanation and translation of related phrases such as “Daisuki desu“, “Daisuki da yo“, and “Ichiban daisuki” and we will also cover the difference between “suki vs daisuki” and “aishiteru vs daisuki“.
The True Meaning of “Daisuki” in Japanese
When you look up “daisuki” (大好き) in a dictionary you will see that it translates into English as “loveable“, “very likable“, or “like very much” (source). However, its actual meaning in Japanese comes closer to the translations “loving something or someone” or “liking something or someone a lot“.
- loveable, very likable, like very much, be very fond of
- to love something or somone
- to like something or someone a lot
If you break down the word you can see that “daisuki” (大好き) consists of the kanji 大 (dai) which means “big“, “large“, or “great“, and the word 好き (suki) which means “to like“. So literally you can think of it meaning “big like” or “great like” while in more natural English “daisuki” translates to “love” or “like a lot“.
Daisuki.
大好き。
I love you.Kare ga daisuki.
彼が大好き。
I love him.Sushi ga daisuki desu.
寿司が大好きです。
I love sushi.Anime daisuki dayo.
アニメ大好きだよ。
I love anime!
I will cover the different more formal and more casual variations of “daisuki” down below, but in general, adding “desu” (です) makes the phrase sound more polite and more formal. Adding “da” (だ) or “dayo” (だよ) on the other hand makes the sentence sound more casual and way more emphatic.
Also, if you want to learn how to say “I like anime” in Japanese instead, please check out the other article I have just published the other day. It includes a lot of useful phrases and examples you can use to talk about anime with your Japanese friends.
How to Use “Daisuki” in Japanese – Common Phrases
You can use the Japanese word “daisuki” (大好き) to talk about someone or something you love. The word on its own already means “I love you (romantically)” or “I love it” but you can also directly state the person or thing by saying “...ga daisuki” (〇〇が大好き) which translates as “I love (person/thing)”.
Daisuki.
大好き。
I love you!
I love it!Itachi-san ga daisuki desu.
イタチさんが大好きです.
I love Itachi (polite)Sakkaa ga daisuki.
サッカーが大好き。
I love soccer.
It is also pretty common to drop the particle ga (が), especially in spoken Japanese. So the following phrases are also correct and have the same meaning but might sound a bit more casual (and more natural).
Itachi-san daisuki desu.
イタチさん大好きです。
I love Itachi (polite)Sakkaa daisuki.
サッカー大好き。
I love soccer.
“Daisuki” (大好き) can also be used in front of a noun to say things like “my favorite…” or “the … I love so much“. You just have to add na (な) after daisuki and use “daisuki na…” (大好きな〇〇).
Daisuki na bando.
大好きなバンド。
My favorite band.Daisuki na ramenya-san.
大好きなラーメン屋さん。
The Ramen shop I love so much.Daisuki na iro wa aoi desu.
大好きな色は青いです。
My favorite color is blue.
Daisuki Desu – “I Love You” or “I Love…” (formal)
“Daisuki desu” (大好きです) has the same meaning as “Daisuki” (大好き) and means “I love you” or “I love (it)“, but it sounds more formal and more polite. When talking with a coworker or someone you don’t know so well about things you are into you or passionate about you should add the word “desu” (です).
Daisuki desu.
大好きです。
I love you.
I love it.Nihon ga daisuki desu.
日本が大好きです。
I love Japan.
Daisuki Da – “I Love You!” or “I Love…!” (empathic)
“Daisuki da” (大好きだ) is the more emphatic and a more casual way to say “I love you!” or “I love (it)!” in Japanese. Adding da (だ) is like adding an exclamation mark to the end of your sentence. It is okay to use it when talking about something you love with friends or family members.
Daisuki da.
大好きだ。
I love you!Keeki ga daisuki da.
ケーキが大好きだ。
I love cake!
Daisuki Da Yo – “I Love You!!!” or “I Love…!!!” (very casual)
“Daisuki da yo” (大好きだよ) is the most casual and informal way to say “I love you” or “I love (it)” in Japanese. While it can be used to confess your love it is less romantic than “Aishiteru” (愛してる) and sounds less polite than “Daisuki desu” (大好きです). It’s like adding a bunch of exclamation marks.
Daisuki da yo.
大好きだよ。
I love you!!!
I love it!!!Kono uta daisuki da yo.
この歌大好きだよ。
I love this song!!!
I have an entire article about the meaning of “dayo” in English and how to use it in Japanese. So check it out if you want to know more about this really useful and common casual expression!
Ichiban Daisuki – “Love the Most”, “All-Time Favorite…”
“Ichiban daisuki” (一番大好き) means “favorite“, “love the most“, or “all-time favorite“. It is used to talk about one’s favorite person or things. You can say “…ga ichiban daisuki desu” (〇〇が一番大好きです) meaning “I love … the most” or “Ichiban daisuki na …” (一番大好きな〇〇) to say “My favorite …“.
Nihon ichiban daisuki desu.
日本一番大好きです。
I love Japan the most.Ichiban daisuki na manga wa kore.
一番大好きなマンガはこれ。
This is my favorite manga.Bara wa ichiban daisuki na hana.
バラは一番大好きな花。
Roses are my favorite flowers.
Suki Suki Daisuki – “I Like You, I Like You, I Love You”
The song title “Suki Suki Daisuki” (好き好き大好き) translates as “I like you, I like you, I love you” in English. It’s a popular song from Jun Togawa released in 1985 on the same-named album “Suki Suki Daisuki”.
Suki suki daisuki
好き好き大好き
I like you, I like you, I love you
Daisuki vs Aishiteru – What’s the Difference?
“Daisuki” (大好き) and “Aishiteru” (愛してる) both mean “I love you“, but the difference is that aishiteru is only used to say “I love you” to your significant other in a long-term relationship while daisuki can be used to confess your love to someone or to talk about something you are passionate about.
Daisuki
大好き。
I love you (confess your love to a new partner)Aishiteru
愛してる。
I love you (permanent relationship)
If you want to know more about what “aishiteru” means in Japanese and why Japanese rarely say it, please check out my other blog post.
Daisuki vs Suki – What’s the Difference?
Suki (好き) means “I like” and daisuki (大好き) means “I love” or “I like a lot“. The difference is that “daisuki” is the stronger word and conveys deeper feelings for someone or more passion for something. However, sometimes “suki” is used as the first confession of one’s love and means “I love you“.
Daisuki
大好き
I love you
I like it a lotSuki
好き
I like you
I like it
You can also check out my other blog post “5 Ways to Say “I Like You” in Japanese (Suki vs Daisuki)” to understand the difference between these two words.
Examples of How to Use Daisuki in a Sentence
| Kimi ga daisuki! I love you (used for women) | 君が大好き。 きみ が だいすき。 |
| Anata ga daisuki! I love you (used for men) | あなたが大好き。 あなた が だいすき。 |
| Minna daisuki da yo! I love you all! (casual) | みんな大好きだよ。 みんな だいすき だよ。 |
| Kono kyoku daisuki I love this song. | この曲大好き。 この きょく だいすき。 |
| Daisuki desu! I love it! | 大好きです！ だいすき です！ |
| Watashi mo (anata no ko ga daisuki desu) I love you, too | 私も(あなたのことが大好きです)。 わたし も(あなた の こと が だいすき です) |
| Anime to manga ga daisuki I love anime and manga | アニメと漫画が大好き。 アニメ と マンガ が だいすき。 |
| Nihon daisuki! I love Japan! | 日本大好き！ にほん だいすき！ |
| Nihon ryouri ga daisuki I love Japanese food | 日本料理が大好き。 にほんりょうり が だいすき。 |
| Nihon no bunka ga daisuki da I love Japanese culture | 日本の文化が大好きだ。 にほん の ぶんか が だいすき だ。 |
| Nihongo no benkyou ga daisuki desu I love studying Japanese | 日本語の勉強が大好きです。 にほんご の べんきょう が だいすき です。 |
| Utau no ga daisuki da yo! I love singing! | 歌うのが大好きだよ。 うたう の が だいすき だよ。 |
| Ichigo ga daisuki I love strawberries | 苺が大好き。 いちご が だいすき。 |
| Anata to iru no ga daisuki desu I love being with you | あなたといるのが大好きです。 あなた と いる のが だいすき です。 |
| Biiru daisuki da yo! I love beer! | ビール大好きだよ。 ビール が だいすき。 |