How to Say 'I Like' and 'I Don't Like' Foods in Japanese
Learn the Japanese patterns for saying you like or dislike a food, using suki and kirai with common dishes. Beginner level, with polite forms and practice.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, saying you like a food is not the same as saying it tastes good. To talk about your personal preference, you use the adjectives suki (like) and kirai (dislike). This lesson teaches you the basic pattern with common foods, so you can say things like 'I like sushi' or 'I don't like natto.' You will also learn how to ask someone else what they like. The focus is on preference, not on describing flavor.
By the end, you can…
- say that I like a specific food using suki.
- say that I don't like a specific food using kirai.
- ask someone whether they like a food.
- use common food words in simple preference sentences.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
すしが好きです。
I like sushi.
sushi ga suki desu
Polite, neutral statement. Use ga before suki. Works for any food.
なっとうが嫌いです。
I don't like natto.
nattō ga kirai desu
Polite, direct. Kirai is stronger than 'not like' but not rude in this pattern.
天ぷらは好きですか。
Do you like tempura?
tenpura wa suki desu ka
Question form. Use wa to mark the topic when asking about a specific food.
野菜はあまり好きじゃないです。
I don't like vegetables very much.
yasai wa amari suki ja nai desu
Softer than kirai. Amari plus negative means 'not very much.'
果物が大好きです。
I love fruit.
kudamono ga daisuki desu
Daisuki means 'very much like' or 'love.' Common for favorite foods.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is [food] ga suki desu for 'I like [food]' and [food] ga kirai desu for 'I don't like [food].' The particle ga marks the food as the object of preference. For example, ラーメンが好きです (rāmen ga suki desu) means 'I like ramen.' To make it negative, change desu to ja nai desu: ラーメンが好きじゃないです (rāmen ga suki ja nai desu) means 'I don't like ramen.' You can also use wa instead of ga when the food is already the topic, as in ラーメンは好きですか (rāmen wa suki desu ka), 'Do you like ramen?'
When to use it
Use suki and kirai to talk about your own preferences, not to describe how a food tastes. If you want to say a food is delicious, use oishii instead. For example, このラーメンはおいしいです (kono rāmen wa oishii desu) means 'This ramen is delicious.' That is a comment on flavor, not on whether you like it. Use suki when someone asks what foods you like, or when you want to share your preferences. Use kirai carefully: it is direct, so in polite conversation you might soften it with amari, as in なすはあまり好きじゃないです (nasu wa amari suki ja nai desu), 'I don't like eggplant very much.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すしが好きですか。
Do you like sushi?sushi ga suki desu kaはい、大好きです。
Yes, I love it.hai, daisuki desuなっとうはどうですか。
How about natto?nattō wa dō desu kaなっとうはあまり好きじゃないです。
I don't like natto very much.nattō wa amari suki ja nai desuA little context goes a long way
In Japanese, suki and kirai are adjectives, not verbs, so they behave differently from English 'like' and 'dislike.' Saying kirai directly about someone else's favorite food can sound blunt, so many speakers soften it with amari or use suki ja nai. When talking about your own preferences, it is fine to be direct in casual conversation, but in formal situations, the polite desu form is safer.
One thing to watch for
Using を (o) instead of が (ga): すしを好きです (sushi o suki desu).
Try this instead: Use が (ga) with suki and kirai: すしが好きです (sushi ga suki desu). The particle ga marks the object of preference, while o is used with action verbs like tabemasu (eat).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like ramen' in polite Japanese?
Show a sample answer
ラーメンが好きです。 (rāmen ga suki desu)
This uses the pattern [food] ga suki desu. You could also say ラーメンは好きです if ramen is already the topic, but ga is the standard neutral choice.
2How do you say 'I don't like vegetables' politely, but softened?
Show a sample answer
野菜はあまり好きじゃないです。 (yasai wa amari suki ja nai desu)
Amari with a negative means 'not very much,' which softens the dislike. You could also say 野菜が嫌いです (yasai ga kirai desu), but that is more direct.
3What is the difference between おいしい (oishii) and 好き (suki)?
Show a sample answer
おいしい describes taste ('delicious'), while 好き describes personal preference ('like').
Oishii is about flavor, so you can say このケーキはおいしいです (kono kēki wa oishii desu) even if you don't personally like cake. Suki is about your own feeling toward the food.
Use [food] ga suki desu for 'I like [food]' and [food] ga kirai desu for 'I don't like [food].' Remember that suki and kirai are adjectives, so they take ga, not o. Soften dislike with amari when you want to be polite.
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