How to Say What You Like and Don't Like in Japanese
Learn to express general likes and dislikes in Japanese with suki, daisuki, and suki ja nai, and give simple reasons using kara.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, the most common way to talk about general preferences is the adjective suki (好き). You use it to say you like coffee, dogs, summer, or almost anything else. To say you don't like something, you make it negative: suki ja nai. This lesson teaches these patterns with the reason marker kara, so you can say things like 'I love coffee because it wakes me up.' These are general preferences, not hobby activities, so you will not need verbs like suru here.
By the end, you can…
- say I like, love, or don't like something in Japanese.
- give a simple reason using kara.
- ask someone what they like.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私はコーヒーが好きです。
I like coffee.
Watashi wa kōhī ga suki desu.
The basic polite pattern. Use wa to mark the speaker and ga to mark the thing you like.
私は犬が大好きです。
I love dogs.
Watashi wa inu ga daisuki desu.
Daisuki is stronger than suki. It means 'very like' or 'love' and is common in everyday speech.
私は納豆が好きじゃないです。
I don't like nattō.
Watashi wa nattō ga suki ja nai desu.
Suki ja nai desu is the polite negative. In casual speech, ja nai is often shortened to janai.
コーヒーは目が覚めるから好きです。
I like coffee because it wakes me up.
Kōhī wa me ga sameru kara suki desu.
Kara means 'because' and comes after the reason. The main opinion comes at the end.
音楽が好きですか。
Do you like music?
Ongaku ga suki desu ka.
Add ka to make a polite question. In casual speech, you can drop desu ka and just say Ongaku ga suki? with rising intonation.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [topic] wa [thing] ga suki desu. For example, Watashi wa kōhī ga suki desu means 'I like coffee.' To make it negative, change suki desu to suki ja nai desu: Watashi wa kōhī ga suki ja nai desu. To add a reason, put the reason first with kara, then the opinion: Kōhī wa me ga sameru kara suki desu. The reason clause comes before the main clause, which is the opposite of English word order.
When to use it
Use suki for general preferences about things, people, foods, places, and activities. It is not limited to hobbies. For example, Nihongo ga suki desu means 'I like Japanese,' and Natsu ga suki desu means 'I like summer.' Use daisuki when you want to sound enthusiastic. Use suki ja nai desu for a polite dislike. If you want to be softer, you can say amari suki ja nai desu, meaning 'I don't like it very much.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
私はコーヒーが大好きです。
I love coffee.Watashi wa kōhī ga daisuki desu.そうですか。私はコーヒーが好きじゃないです。
Is that so? I don't like coffee.Sō desu ka. Watashi wa kōhī ga suki ja nai desu.どうしてですか。
Why?Dōshite desu ka.苦いから好きじゃないです。
I don't like it because it's bitter.Nigai kara suki ja nai desu.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese, suki is an adjective, not a verb, so it behaves differently from English 'like.' It is also common to omit watashi wa when the speaker is clear from context. For dislikes, direct statements like suki ja nai desu are fine, but in polite situations people often soften them with amari or chotto, as in Chotto suki ja nai desu.
One thing to watch for
Saying 私はコーヒーを好きです (Watashi wa kōhī o suki desu) with the particle o.
Try this instead: Use ga, not o, with suki: 私はコーヒーが好きです (Watashi wa kōhī ga suki desu). Suki is an adjective, so the thing you like is marked with ga.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like music' in polite Japanese?
Show a sample answer
私は音楽が好きです。 (Watashi wa ongaku ga suki desu.)
This uses the basic pattern wa ... ga suki desu. You can also omit watashi wa if the context is clear.
2How do you say 'I don't like nattō' politely?
Show a sample answer
私は納豆が好きじゃないです。 (Watashi wa nattō ga suki ja nai desu.)
This is the polite negative form of suki. A softer alternative is あまり好きじゃないです (amari suki ja nai desu).
3How do you say 'I love dogs because they are cute'?
Show a sample answer
犬はかわいいから大好きです。 (Inu wa kawaii kara daisuki desu.)
The reason comes first with kara, then the opinion daisuki desu. You could also say 犬が大好きです。かわいいからです (Inu ga daisuki desu. Kawaii kara desu) with the reason as a separate sentence.
Use [thing] ga suki desu for likes, suki ja nai desu for dislikes, and put the reason before kara. Keep the opinion at the end of the sentence.
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