How to say "I love you" around the world
How to say "I love you" around the world
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
| Language | How to say I love you |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Ek is lief vir jou Ek het jou lief |
| Akan (Ghana) | Me dor wo |
| Albanian | Te dua Te dashuroj Ti je zemra ime |
| Alentejano(Port.) | Gosto de ti, porra! |
| Alsacien (Elsass) | Ich hoan dich gear |
| Amharic (Aethio.) | Afekrishalehou Afekrischalehou Ewedishalehu (male/female to female) Ewedihalehu (male/female to male) |
| American Sign Language |
(signed with right hand) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::(::)::::::::: ::::::(::)::::::::|__|::::::::: ::::::|::|:__::__:|::|::::::::: ::::::|::|(::)(::)|__|:::__:::: ::::::|::||__||__||::|::/::)::: ::::::|:::(__)(__):::|:/::/:::: ::::::|::::::::::::::|/::/::::: ::::::|::::::::::::::/::/:::::: ::::::|:::::::::::::/::/::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
| Apache | Sheth she~n zho~n (nasalized vowels like French, '~n' as in French 'salon' |
| Arabic (formal) | Ohiboke (male to female) Ohibokoma (male or female to two males or two females) Nohiboke (more than one male or females to female) Nohiboka (male to male or female to male) Nohibokoma (male to male, female to two males, two females) Nohibokon (male to male or female to more than two females) |
| Arabic (proper) | Ooheboki (male to female) Ooheboka (female to male) |
| Arabic | Ana behibak (female to male) Ana behibek (male to female) Ahebich (male to female) Ahebik (female to male) Ana ahebik Ib'n hebbak Ana ba-heb-bak Bahibak (female to male) Bahibik (male to female) Benhibak (more than one male or female to male) Benhibik (male to male or female to female) Benhibkom (male to male or female to morethan one male) Nhebuk (spoken to someone of importance) |
| Arabic (Umggs.) | Ana hebbek |
| Armenian | Yes kez si'rumem |
| Assamese(Indien) | Moi tomak bhal pau |
| Basque | Nere maitea (means: my love) Maite zaitut (means: I love you) |
| Bassa | Mengweswe |
| Batak (Nordsumatra) | Holong rohangku di ho |
| Bavarian | I mog di narrisch gern I mog di (right answer: i di a) |
| Bemba | Ndikufuna |
| Bengali | Aami tomaake bhaalo baashi Ami tomay bhalobashi Ami tomake bahlobashi Ami tomake walobashi Ami tomake vhalobashi |
| Berber | Lakh tirikh |
| Bicol (Philippinen) | Namumutan ta ka |
| Bolivian Quechua | Qanta munami |
| Bosnian | Volim te |
| Braille | : :..:| ..:| |..-.. .::":.., :.:; |
| Brazilian/Portuguese | Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu') Amo-te |
| Bulgarian | Obicham te Obozhavam te ("I love you very much") /TD |
| Burmese | Chit pa de |
| Cambodian | Kh_nhaum soro_lahn nhee_ah Bon sro lanh oon |
| Canadian French | Sh'teme (spoken, sounds like this) Je t'aime ("I like you") Je t'adore ("I love you") |
| Catalan | T'estimo (Catalonian) T'estim (Mallorcan) T'estime (Valencian) T'estim molt ("I love you a lot") |
| Cebuano (Philippi.) | Gihigugma ko ikaw |
| Chamoru (or Chamorro) | Hu guaiya hao |
| Cheyenne | Ne mohotatse |
| Chichewa | Ndimakukonda |
| Chickasaw (USA) | Chiholloli (first 'i' nasalized) |
| Chinese | Goa ai li(Amoy dialect) Ngo oi ney (Cantonese dialect) Wo oi ni (Cantonese dialect) Ngai oi gnee (Hakka dialect) Ngai on ni (Hakka dialect) Wa ai lu (Hokkien dialect) Wo ai ni (Mandarin dialect) Wo ie ni (Mandarin dialect) Wuo ai nee (Mandarin dialect) Wo ay ni (Mandarin dialect) Wo ai ni (Putunghua dialect) Ngo ai nong (Wu dialect) |
| Corsican | Ti tengu cara (male to female) Ti tengu caru (female to male) |
| Creol | Mi aime jou |
| Croatian (familiar) | Ja te volim (used in proper speech) Volim te(used in common speech) |
| Croatian (formal) | Ja vas volim (used in proper speech) Volim vas (used in common speech) Ljubim te (in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish) |
| Croatian (old) | Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry) |
| Czech | Miluji te (a downwards pointing arrowhead on top of the 'e' in te, which is pronounced 'ye') Miluju te! (colloquial form) |
| Dusun | Siuhang oku dia |
| Dutch | Ik hou van je Ik hou van jou Ik bemin je (old fashioned) Ik bemin jou (old fashioned) Ik ben verliefd op je Ik ben verliefd op jou Ik zie je graag Ik hol van die (Gronings a Hollands dialect) |
| Ecuador Quechua | Canda munani |
| English | I love you I adore you I love thee (used only in Christian context) |
| Esperanto | Mi amas vin |
| Estonian | Mina armastan sind |
| Ethiopian | Afgreki' (one of the Ethipians dialects, there are over 80 - see also under "Amharic") |
| Farsi (old) | Tora dust mi daram |
| Farsi | Tora dost daram ("I love you") Asheghetam Doostat daram ("I'm in love with you") Man asheghetam ("I'm in love with you") |
| Filipino | Mahal ka ta Iniibig kita |
| Finnish (formal) | Minä rakastan sinua Rakastan sinua Minä pidn sinusta ("I like you") |
| Finnish | (Mä) rakastan sua (Mä) tykkn susta ("I like you") |
| French (formal) | Je vous aime |
| French | Je t'aime ("I love you") Je t'adore ("I love you", stronger meaning between lovers): J' t'aime bien ("I like you", meant for friends and family, not for lovers) |
| Friesian | Ik hou fan dei (sp?) Ik hald fan dei |
| Gaelic | Ta gra agam ort Moo graugh hoo |
| Ghanaian (Akan, Twi) | Me dor wo |
| German (formal) | Ich liebe Sie (rarely used) |
| German | Ich liebe dich Ich hab dich lieb (not so classic and conservative) |
| Greek | S'ayapo (spoken "s'agapo", 3rd letter is lower case
'gamma') Eime eroteumenos mazi sou ("I'm in love with) Eime eroteumenos me 'sena(you", male to female) Eime eroteumeni mazi sou ("I'm in love with) Eime eroteumeni me 'sena (you", female to male) Se latrevo ("I adore you") Se thelo ("I want you", denotes sexual desire) |
| Greek (old) | (Ego) Philo su ('ego', for emphasis) |
| Greek (Arhea/Ancient) | Philo se |
| Greenlandic | Asavakit |
| Guarani' | Rohiyu (ro-hai'-hyu) |
| Gujrati (Pakistan) | Hoon tane pyar karoochhoon Hoon tuney chaoon chhoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced) |
| Hausa (Nigeria) | Ina sonki |
| Hawaiian | Aloha wau ia 'oe Aloha wau ia 'oe nui loa ("I love you very much") |
| Hebrew | Anee ohev otakh (male to female) Anee ohevet otkha (female to male) Anee ohev otkha (male to male) Anee ohevet otakh (female to female) ('kh' pronounced like Spanish 'j', Dutch 'g', or similiar to French 'r') |
| Hindi | Mai tumase pyar karata hun (male to female) Mai tumase pyar karati hun (female to male) Mai tumse pyar karta hoon Mai tumse peyar karta hnu Mai tumse pyar karta hoo Mai tujhe pyaar kartha hoo Mae tumko peyar kia Main tumse pyar karta hoon Main tumse prem karta hoon Main tuze pyar karta hoon ('n' is nasal, not pronounced) |
| Hokkien | Wa ai lu |
| Hopi | Nu'umi unangwta |
| Hungarian | Szeretlek Te'gedet szeretlek ("It's you I love and no one else") Szeretlek te'ged ("It's you I love, you know, you", a reinforcement) (The above two entries are never heard in a normal context.) |
| Ibaloi (Phil.) | Pip-piyan taha Pipiyan ta han shili (I like/love you very much) |
| Interglossa | Mi esthe philo tu. |
| Ilocano | Ay-ayaten ka |
| Icelandic | Eg elska thig (pronounced 'yeg l-ska thig') |
| Indonesian | Saya cinta padamu('Saya', commonly used) Saya cinta kamu ('Saya', commonly used) Saya kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used) Saja kasih saudari ('Saya', commonly used) Aku tjinta padamu ('Aku', not often used) (tjinta is the old written version influenced by Netherlands) Aku cinta padamu ('Aku', not often used) Aku cinta kamu ('Aku', not often used) (cinta is the modern written version since 1972 same for saya and saja) |
| Italian | Ti amo (relationship/lover/spouse) Ti voglio bene (between friends) Ti voglio (strong sexual meaning, "I want you" ferred to the other person's body) |
| Irish | Taim i' ngra leat |
| Irish-Gaelic | t'a gr'a agam dhuit |
| Japanese | Kimi o ai shiteru Aishiteru Chuu shiteyo Ora omee no koto ga suki da Ore wa omae ga suki da Suitonnen Sukiyanen Watashi wa anata ga suki desu Watashi wa anata wo aishithe imasu Watashi wa anata o aishitemasu A-i-shi-te ma-su Watakushi-wa anata-wo ai shimasu Suki desu (used at the first time, like for a start, when you are not yet real lovers) |
| Javanese | Kulo tresno |
| Kankana-ey (Phil.) | Laylaydek sik-a |
| Kannada (Indien) | Naanu Ninnanu Preethisuthene Naanu Ninnanu Mohisuthene |
| Kikongo | Mono ke zola nge (mono ke' zola nge') |
| Kiswahili | Nakupenda Nakupenda wewe Nakupenda malaika ("I love you, (my) angel") |
| Klingon | bangwI' SoH("You are my beloved") qamuSHá ("I love you") qamuSHqu' ("I love you very much") qaparHá ("I like you") qaparHqu' ("I like you very much!") (words are often unnecessary as the thought is most often conveyed nonverbally with special growlings) |
| Korean | Dangsinul saranghee yo ("I love you, dear") Saranghee Nanun dangsineul joahapnida ("I like you") Nanun dangsineul mucheog joahapnida ("I like you very much") Nanun dangsineul saranghapnida Nanun dangsineul mucheog saranghapnida ("I love you verymuch") Nanun gdaega joa ("I like him" or "I like her") Nanun gdaereul saranghapnida ("I love him" or "I love her") Nanun neoreul saranghanda Gdaereul hjanghan naemaeum alji (You know how much I love him/her.) Joahaeyo ("I like you") Saranghaeyo (more formal) Saranghapanida (more respectful) Norul sarang hae (male to female in casual relationship) Tangsinul sarang ha yo Tangshin-ul sarang hae-yo Tangshin-i cho-a-yo ("I like you, in a romantic way") Nanun tangshinul sarang hamnida |
| Kpele | I walikana |
| Kurdish | Ez te hezdikhemf Min te xushvet Min te xoshwet (Southern dialect) |
| Lao | Khoi hak jao Khoi hak chao Khoi mak jao lai ("I like you very much") Khoi hak jao lai ("I love you very much") Khoi mak jao (This means "I prefer you",but is used for "I loveyou".) |
| Latin | Te amo Vos amo |
| Latin (old) | (Ego) Amo te ('Ego', for emphasis) |
| Latvian | Es tevi milu (pronounced 'es tevy meelu') ('i in 'milu' has a line over it, a 'long i') Es milu tevi (less common) |
| Lebanese | Bahibak |
| Lingala | Nalingi yo |
| Lisbon lingo | Gramo-te bue', chavalinha! |
| Lithuanian | Tave myliu (Ta-ve mee-lyu) Ash mir lutavah |
| Lojban | Mi do prami |
| Luo (Kenia) | Aheri |
| Luxembourgish | Ech hun dech gr |
| Maa | Ilolenge |
| Macedonian | Te sakam (a little stronger than "I like you") Te ljubam ("I really love you") Jas te sakam ('j' sounds like 'y' in May) Pozdrav ("Greetings") |
| Madrid lingo | Me molas, tronca! |
| Maiese | Wa wa |
| Malay | Saya cintamu Saya sayangmu Saya sayang anda Saya cintakan mu (grammatically correct) Saya sayangkan mu( " ) Saya chantikan awak Aku sayang kau |
| Malay/Bahasa | Saya cinta mu |
| Malay/Indonesian | Aku sayang kau Saya cantikan awak Saya sayangkan engkau Saya cintakan awak Aku cinta pada kau Aku cinta pada mu Saya cinta pada mu Saya sayangkan engkau ('engkau' often shortened to 'kau', 'engkau' is informal form and should only be used if you know the person _really_well) |
| Malayalam | Ngan ninne snaehikkunnu Njyaan ninne' preetikyunnu Njyaan ninne' mohikyunnu |
| Malaysian | Saya cintamu Saya sayangmu Saya cinta kamu |
| Marathi | Mi tuzya var prem karato Me tujhashi prem karto (male to female) Me tujhashi prem karte (female to male) |
| Marshallese | Yokwe Yuk (sort of multi-purpose, like Aloha, literally Love to you, my friend) |
| Mohawk | Konoronhkwa |
| Mokilese | Ngoah mweoku kaua |
| Mongolian | Be Chamad Hairtai(very personal) |
| Moroccan | Kanbhik (both mean the same, but spoken) Kanhebek (in different cities) |
| Navajo | Ayor anosh'ni |
| Ndebele (Zimbabwe) | Niyakutanda |
| Nepali | Ma timi sita prem garchhu (romantic) Ma timilai maya garchhu (less emphatic, can beused in a non romantic conext, too) |
| Jeg elsker deg (Bokmaal) | Eg elskar deg (Nynorsk) Jeg elsker deg (Riksmaal: outdated, formerly used by upper-class and conservative people) |
| Nyanja | Ninatemba |
| Op | Op lopveop yopuop |
| Oromoo | Sinjaladha Sinjaldha |
| Osetian | Aez dae warzyn |
| Pakistani | Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai Muje se mu habbat hai |
| Papiamento | Mi ta stimbo |
| Pedi (related to Tswana) | Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: ee-ya--hoo-rata) |
| Pig Latin | Ie ovele ouye (pronounced as:I-ay ov-lay u-yay.) |
| Pilipino | Mahal kita Iniibig kita |
| Polish | Kocham cie ("cie" is slangy polish and not commonly
used) Kocham ciebie Ja cie kocham |
| Portuguese/Brazilian | Eu te amo (pronounced 'eiu chee amu') Amo-te |
| Punjabi (Indien) | Main tainu pyar karna Mai taunu pyar Karda Main teri fudi marni chauda ha Mera lun ik huth lamba hai Par fudi chari de vich marni hai |
| Quenya(J.R. Tolkie) | Tye-melne |
| Raetoromanisch | Te amo |
| Romanian | Te iubesc Te iubesc Te ador (stronger) |
| Russian | Ya vas lyublyu(old fashioned) Ya lyublyu vas(old fashioned) Ya lyublyu tyebya |
| Samoan | Ou te alofa outou Ou te alofa ia te oe Talo'fa ia te oe. ("Hello, from me to you") Fia moi? ("Would you like to go to bed with me tonight?") |
| Sanskrit | Anurag(a higher love, like the love of music or art) |
| Scot-Gaelic | Tha gr`adh agam ort |
| Serbian (formal) | Ja vas volim(used in proper speech) Volim vas(used in common speech) Ljubim te(in todays useage, "I kiss you", 'lj' pronounced like 'll' in Spanish, one sound, 'ly'ish) |
| Serbian (familiar) | Ja te volim(used in proper speech) Volim te(used in common speech) |
| Serbian (old) | Ljubim te (may still be found in poetry) |
| Serbocroatian | Volim te Ljubim te Ja te volim ('j' sounds like 'y' in May) |
| SeSotho | Kiyahurata. (pronounced as: Kee-ya--hoo-rata) |
| Shona | Ndinokuda |
| Singhalese (Ceylon) | Mama oyata adarei Mama oyaata aadareyi |
| Sioux | Techihhila |
| Slovak | Lubim ta |
| Slovene | Ljubim te |
| Spanish | Te amo Te quiero Te adoro (I adore you) Te deseo (I desire you) Me antojs (I crave you) |
| Srilankan | Mama oyata arderyi |
| Suaheli (Ostafrika) | Ninikupenda |
| Swahili | Nakupenda Naku penda (followed by the person's name) Ninikupenda Dholu'o |
| Swedish | Jag alskar dig. (pronounced: "Yag alskar day") |
| Syrian/Lebanese | Bhebbek (male to female) Bhebbak (female to male) |
| Tagalog | Mahal kita |
| Tahitian | Ua Here Vau Ia Oe Ua here vau ia oe |
| Tamil | Naan unnai kadalikiren Nan unnai kathalikaren Ni yaanai kaadli karen ("You love me") N^an unnaki kathalikkinren ("I love you") Nam vi'rmberem |
| Telugu (Indien) | Neenu ninnu premistu'nnanu Nenu ninnu premistunnanu Ninnu premistunnanu |
| Thai (formal) | Phom rak khun (male to female) Ch'an rak khun (female to male) Phom-ruk-koon (male to female) Chun-ruk-koon (female to male) |
| Thai | Khao raak thoe (affectionate, sweet, loving) |
| Tswana | Ke a go rata |
| Tshiluba | Ndi mukusua(I love you) Ndi musua wewe(I want you) Ndi ne ditalala bua wewe (I have love for you) |
| Tunisian | Ha eh bak |
| Tumbuka | Nkhukutemwa |
| Turkish (formal) | Sizi seviyorum |
| Turkish | Seni seviyorum Seni begeniyorum("I adore you")(g has a bar on it) |
| Twi (Ghana) | Me dowapaa Me dor wo |
| Ukrainian | Ya tebe kokhayu Ja tebe kokhaju (real true love) Ja vas kokhaju Ja pokokhav tebe Ja pokokhav vas |
| Urdu (Indien) | Main tumse muhabbat karta hoon Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai Mujge tumae mahabbat hai Kam prem kartahai |
| Vai | Na lia |
| Vietnamese | Anh yeu em (male to female) Em yeu anh (female to male) Toi yeu em |
| Vulcan (Mr.Spock) | Wani ra yana ro aisha |
| Volapük | Lfob oli |
| Walloon | Dji vos veu volti (lit. I like to see you) Dji vos inme (lit. I love you) Dji v'zinme |
| Welsh | Rwy'n dy garu di Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi) |
| Wolof | Da ma la nope Da ma la nop (da mlanop) |
| Yiddish | Kh'hob dikh lib Kh'ob dikh holt Ikh bin in dir farlibt |
| Yucatec May | 'in k'aatech (the love of lovers) 'in yabitmech (the love of family, whichlovers can also feel; it indicates more a desire to spoil and protect the other person) |
| Yugoslavian | Ja te volim |
| Zazi (kurdisch) | Ezhele hezdege (sp?) |
| Zulu | Mina Ngithanda Wena. (rarely used; means: "Me,I love
you.") Ngiyakuthanda (pronounced as:NGee-ya--koo--tanda) |
| Zuni | Tom ho'ichema |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free
Home Page
