How to Say 'I Like to Cook' and 'I Don't Like to Cook' in Japanese
Learn to talk about liking or disliking the activity of cooking in Japanese, using りょうりする with すき and すきじゃない, and telling this apart from liking a specific food.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, saying you like to cook is not the same as saying you like a food. Food likes use a noun plus がすきです, as in すしがすきです ('I like sushi'). Activity likes use a verb phrase made with the noun りょうり (cooking) plus する (to do), and the particle が marks that whole activity. This lesson gives you the exact patterns for 'I like to cook' and 'I don't like to cook', plus the question form so you can ask others. You will also learn why すきです is safer than すきだ in polite conversation, and how to avoid the common slip of attaching を to the activity.
By the end, you can…
- say 'I like to cook' in polite Japanese.
- say 'I don't like to cook' in polite Japanese.
- ask someone whether they like to cook.
- tell an activity preference apart from a food preference.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
りょうりするのがすきです。
I like to cook.
ryōri suru no ga suki desu
The standard polite way to express liking the activity of cooking. の turns the verb phrase りょうりする into a noun-like unit that がすきです can describe.
りょうりするのがすきじゃないです。
I don't like to cook.
ryōri suru no ga suki ja nai desu
A clear, polite negative. じゃないです is common in everyday polite speech; ではありません is more formal.
りょうりするのがすきですか。
Do you like to cook?
ryōri suru no ga suki desu ka
A yes/no question. Add か at the end and keep the polite です. Rising intonation is natural.
りょうりするのはたのしいです。
Cooking is fun.
ryōri suru no wa tanoshii desu
Here は marks the topic. Use this when you want to comment on cooking rather than state a like or dislike.
すしがすきです。
I like sushi.
sushi ga suki desu
This is a food preference, not an activity preference. Compare it with りょうりするのがすきです to see the difference.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is: activity verb (dictionary form) + の + が + すきです. For cooking, the activity is りょうりする, so you get りょうりするのがすきです. To make it negative, change すきです to すきじゃないです: りょうりするのがすきじゃないです. If you want to talk about a different activity, swap in another verb: およぐのがすきです ('I like to swim'), ほんをよむのがすきです ('I like to read books'). The の is essential; without it, りょうりするがすきです sounds incomplete.
When to use it
Use these patterns when the topic is an activity, not a thing. If a friend asks りょうりするのがすきですか, answer with the same pattern: はい、すきです or いいえ、すきじゃないです. If you are talking about a food, use a noun instead: カレーがすきです ('I like curry'). In more casual speech with close friends, すきだ and すきじゃない are common, but in shops, with acquaintances, or with teachers, keep です. Also note that りょうり alone can mean 'a dish' or 'cuisine', so context matters.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
りょうりするのがすきですか。
Do you like to cook?ryōri suru no ga suki desu kaはい、すきです。でも、あまりじょうずじゃないです。
Yes, I like it. But I'm not very good at it.hai, suki desu. demo, amari jōzu ja nai desuそうですか。わたしはりょうりするのがすきじゃないです。
I see. I don't like to cook.sō desu ka. watashi wa ryōri suru no ga suki ja nai desuじゃあ、いつもがいしょくですか。
Then do you always eat out?jā, itsumo gaishoku desu kaA little context goes a long way
Politeness matters here. すきです is safe in most situations; すきだ can sound blunt or intimate, so use it with close friends or family. When refusing or expressing dislike, Japanese speakers often soften it with あまり ('not very'): あまりすきじゃないです. This is gentler than a flat すきじゃないです and is common in polite conversation.
One thing to watch for
りょうりをするがすきです。
Try this instead: The verb phrase needs の before が: りょうりするのがすきです. Without の, the sentence does not work as a noun phrase that がすきです can describe. A related slip is using を: りょうりするのをすきです is wrong because すき is not an action verb; the correct particle is が.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like to cook' politely in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
りょうりするのがすきです。
This uses the activity りょうりする, adds の to make it noun-like, and marks it with が before すきです. りょうりがすきです would mean you like a dish or cuisine, not the activity.
2How do you say 'I don't like to cook' politely?
Show a sample answer
りょうりするのがすきじゃないです。
The negative of すきです is すきじゃないです. すきではありません is also correct and more formal. Keep の and が in place.
3Someone asks りょうりするのがすきですか。Give a short yes answer.
Show a sample answer
はい、すきです。
A short answer repeats すきです. You can also say はい、りょうりするのがすきです for a fuller answer. はい、すきだ is possible only in casual speech.
For activities, use verb + の + が + すきです; for foods, use noun + が + すきです. Say りょうりするのがすきです to like cooking, and りょうりするのがすきじゃないです to dislike it.
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