Do Japanese say "I Love You"?

But, it kind of seems to me that Japanese people take a lot of strong English words (eg. the word "love" ... and you'll notice many of them WAY overuse swear words) quite a bit lightly. It does seem to me that to many Japanese, to "be in love" is almost the same as "kyoomi ga aru" (to be interested in), maybe a bit stronger than that, but "I love you" to them doesn't necessarily convey the same meaning that English speakers take from it. If you get an "aishiteru," I would say that's much more validating, if verbal validation of your her/his "love" is what you're looking for.

You are absolutely right! My (bad) experiences are like that.

Yes..and to receive Totemo Aishiteru! is so much bliss! To give and receive such words is double bliss! It is too easy in english to say I Love You...some can be very serious saying it but to be sure check the actions and context...

in the world,everybody can use this sentence which explains a deep feeling'i love u'except of japanese..i don't know why they don t use this sentence altghough they have the sentence aishitemasu..watashi ha daigaku de nihongo wo benkyoshiteimasu nihonnjin ga suki desu but i can use'suki desu'not aishitemasu:(doushite?only they use this wonderful sentence in poems zannen desu ne:(

AHAH its been 2 years and im posting ? WOW im only 11 belive or not ..
and when i read YEA I SO DID READ ALL OF IT
and when i heard he had cancer its pretty scary
and there sooo much people here gave so much advice!
im just coming by and saying: i hope he is still alive right now and if he is god bless him =D and i hope he will work everything out

man sorry for my grammar i stink at grammar -.- and please don't say WHY IS A 11 YEAR OLD HERE very oddly ( if thats a word..) i found this site because i wanted to know what " i love you" is in japanese and i found it ;D! ill be leaving now.. lol

Well-behaved 11-year-olds are always welcome, winnie!

The rarely used, very formal, perhaps even overly formal, usage is something to the effect of.... watashi-wa anata-o aishtemasu

Please correct me if I'm wrong, and if so, so sorry.

um..yeah, the japanese have hundreds of ways to say "i love you" here in america, we only have one "i love you" but in japan there are different ways to symbolize different kinds of love (i.e. love to a child, spouose, parent, friend, etc.)

the only thing I can say is wow 2 years and still kicking this is probably the longest thread I read.

"...most Americans say "I love you" when they talk to family or wife/husband over the phone right before they hang up."

It's true, they do; I often do, anyway. "I love you" in English isn't reserved for the heights of romance, but is also used to show you really care for the other person, & want them to know it.

Why say it to their mom or dad at the close of a phone conversation? For me, when speaking to a family member or dear friend over the phone, I don't want to hang up without letting them know I love them. Maybe it's the subconscious feeling of being apart from them & the possibility of not being able to talk with them again for a long time that urges me to say, "I love you," even if it's the last thing I say.

I admire the emphasis Japanese place on showing their love through their actions, as I believe that love is a verb, & it's not enough to feel it if you don't show it.

I also think actions include communication, & that the words I speak, as well as the way I speak them, communicate my feelings to the people I care about. Words of appreciation, concern, encouragement, praise, or comfort, when spoken sincerely, do show love & caring, & help to keep communication flowing freely.

But showing my love through actions & communication doesn't come naturally for me, being rather reserved, & often when thinking about doing or saying something that I know will show my deep feelings, it makes me uncomfortable. So I can understand why a lot of Japanese get embarrassed about saying, "I love you."

However, when I just "take the plunge" & do or say whatever it was I felt uncomfortable or embarrassed about, although in a way it humbles me, it also liberates me because I'm able to truly express my feelings. As Jesus said, "The truth shall make you free."

IAW my Japanese secretary in 19 51 through 1953, "Iove you" is a simple expression:

Watakuchi wa anata-ga "AI" ( pronounced "EYE") shimasu'

I cannot understand WHY this expression should have "dis-appeared"???

japanese how many ways of showing they love you and they care every culture does everyday when one person leaves for something they make sure to so they care by saying "take care of yourself" and i'm sure most of them have said "i love you" too just because japanese are different from americans doesn't mean they don't love or care they are practicly like us but they are safer to be around, thank you for reading this and please take care of yourself cause someone out there loves you

"watashi wa onatowa i seewa su"?
My mother taught me a similar saying ""watashi wa onatowo i see-mas". She was from Amori...dob-12/1925. Is this an older generation saying for " I Love you"?
Just wondering...
Hapa El

Well...I guess if I would have jumped to this page before posting...I would have seen my answer...Arigato Wanderer! I just wrote it differently...
Sayonara!
Hapa EL

My Japanese husband likes to cook for me (I am European). Moreover he is always helpful at home. And he says to me: "This is my style to say 'I love you' to you."

My japanese guy do not say Aishiteru. When i asked why, he say Suki is the same :(
Is it really? or maybe he just has not feel deeply for me yet...

he said it to me before...actually I'am weirded out that he said it. When he first said it, I was shocked, and asked why he said it.He said cause it sounded better then "I like you".Since english isn't his native language, I corrected him about the difference...and he said it again^^;;

I think it depends on the individual.

hey helpless...here are a few transalations for you:

^suki^ means like
^dai suki^ means like very much
^aishiteru^ i love you.

In my experience, suki and dai suki are normally reserved for when you say every day things such as ^i like coca cola^ or ^i like animals^ etc etc.

Hope this helps!

D x

i am a 23 year old, american female. i just want to give my opinion to all those out there who may be questioning whether or not your bf or gf or spouse really loves you or still loves you. even through the divorce process, my husband tells me that he loves me, but i do not tell him back because that is not the way i feel about him anymore. now, as much as i know it hurts him, and as bad as it makes me feel to be that way, i will not be dishonest with him, and lead him on by making him think that i have feelings for him when i really don't. that's not fair to him or me. i just think that sometimes both men and women get the impression that they are doing someone a favor by telling that person what they want to hear in an attempt not to hurt them, but in reality they are just causing that person more hurt and pain in the end by not being honest. i am not talking about being mean and rude with the person either. there is a right and a wrong way to tell someone that you know has feelings for you, that you do not feel the same way... and that is with respect, gentleness and care. respect for the persons feelings, gentle in the way you speak with the person, and handle the situation, and care because you do not want to hurt the person. well, at least anyone with a good heart will not want to hurt the persons feelings.

for those of you who are in relationships and are wondering if your partner loves you or is still in love with you, you simply need to talk, watch, and be patient. if you get nowhere with talking, just remember the golden rule: actions speak louder than words. if you can tell that your partner is trying to please you and is doing so thru his/her actions, you should not worry. but if your partner is acting as though he/she does not want to be with or around you, and the communication between the both of you sucks, then you should think twice about being in that relationship. relationships donft fall apart for nothing. someone or something makes one person not want to be with the other.

i know that this was more aimed at japanese men and women, but i donft think that nationality has anything to do with it. also, i am not throwing the gshynessh reason out of the window either. i believe that there are people out there who are very shy to the point where they will hesitate to approach anyone of the opposite sex. thatfs fine and all, but if that person is really interested in someone, they will find a way to communicate that to the other person. for example, i am shy and quiet by nature. but, before i was married, if i saw someone that i was interested in, i would drop hints or do little things to show that person that i was interested in them. if they responded, we would talk more and get to know each other, but if not, i knew to back off and leave them alone. the bottom line is that if a person is really interested in you, like for a bf or gf, they will pursue you and vice versa. also, try not to think too hard about the situation, or you will find yourself running around in cirlces and more confused. so, if your j-man or j-woman will not say to you gaishiteruh or gaishiteimasuh or gdaisukih etc., that may mean they simply do not feel that way about you right now. just as i will not tell any other guy that i love him unless i truly meant it. and i would not want him to tell me he loved me if he was not serious about it.
anyway, i wish the best to all those who are unsure of their situation at this point. i hope my rambling helped you guys in some kind of way. take care everyone!! :) oh and one more thing, always keep in mind that there comes a time when you have to let go. most people know that already, but do not want to face the reality that the person they really like does not feel the same for them.