head-over-heels in love but don’t want to through the l bomb yet?
Try saying “I like you in Korean” to make an impact on your crush.
The phrase 사랑해 (saranghae) is the most common way to say I like you in Korean. But there are other ways to say it that can be more specific, personal, or even cute.
We have got you covered with our quick guide on the best ways to say “I like you” in Korean that will melt your beautiful loved one’s heart and let your partner know that you missed them with examples and exercises.
Alright world, Let’s get started!
How to Say I like you in Korean ( from causal to formal)
좋아해요 (joahaeyo) means “I like you in Korean”. It is polite and respectful to say this to your parents, grandparents, or teachers. 좋아해 (joahae) is more casual and is used like your boyfriend or girlfriend. The formal way to say I like you in Korean is 좋아합니다 (joahamnida) and use this with someone older, in lyrics, or in advertisements.
Here are the common ways to say I like you in Korean in formal, casual, and polite situations.
- The Casual way – 좋아해 (joahae)
- The Polite way –좋아해요 (joahaeyo)
- The Formal way– 좋아합니다 (joahamnida)
i like you in Korean standard|What is Saranghaeyo Korean?
The polite way to say “I like you” in Korean is called 좋아해요((joahaeyo)
It comes from the verb 좋아하다 with present tense conjugation. If you want to show your appreciation, gratitude, and affection in a more respectful way, you may want to use the polite way of saying “I like you” with your parents, teachers, etc.
If you want to confess someone just say the sentence (나는 너를 좋아해요),na-neun neo-reul joahaeyo
You can just substitute “you” with the listener’s name + 씨
- Like you, name.
- name+ 씨 좋아해요. (xx ssi joahaeyo)
Example
Bon-Hwa, I like you.
봉화 씨, 좋아해요. – [Bon-Hwa-ssi, jo-a-hae-yo]
Or you can also address the person as 오빠 or 누나
- i like you my significant other.
- 오빠/누나 좋아해요. (oppa/nuna joahaeyo.)
I like you in Korean in the informal way
The most common and casual way to say “I like you” in Korean is 좋아해 (joahae).
This means that you can use this with people close to you and people younger than you.
For example, with your girlfriend or boyfriend, with your husband or wife,
You could say 나 너 좋아해 (na neo joahae)/널 좋아해 (neol joahae.)
Or you can substitute “you” with the listener’s name and add 아 or 야 after the
Example
I like you, minji.
민지야, 좋아해 (minjiyah, saranghae.)
Note
If a Korean name ends in a consonant, add 아(ah) to the end of his/her name.
You can Add 야 (ya) to the end of the name, if a Korean name ends in a vowel,
For example
I like you, yaejin – 예진 (Yaejin) + 아( Ah) + 좋아해= 예진아 ,좋아해
I like you, minji – 민지 (Minji) + 야 (Yah)+ 좋아해 = 민지야,좋아해
i like you in Korean formal way
좋아합니다 (joahamnida) means “I
like you in Korean”. It is the most formal way.
You can use this word to address, just those with higher status or those who are older than you.
It’s also used when talking to large groups and audiences.
Other Indirect Ways to Say I like you in Korean
Besides saying I like you directly, you can also express your feelings to the other person in indirect ways.
- You’re pretty. 예뻐요. (yeppeoyo.)
- You’re handsome. 잘 생겼어요. (jal saenggyeoseoyo.)
- Would you go out with me?-저랑 사귈래요? (jeorang sagwilraeyo?)
- I want to be with you. 같이 있고 싶어요. (gachi itgo sipeoyo.)
- I miss you. 보고 싶어요. (bogo sipeoyo.)
- I love you-
- You’re beautiful. 아름다워요. (areumdawoyo.)
- You’re looking good. 멋있어요.
How to say I like or dislike in Korean
The Korean word for “like” is 좋아 (sarang) and for dislike is 싫어.
To say “I like this” in Korean, you can say 이거 좋아해요 (igeo joahaeyo), where 이거 means “this”.
To say “I dislike this” in Korean, you can say 이거 싫어해요 (igeo joahaeyo).
where 이거means “this” and 싫어해요 means “I hate”
Example
I like this
이거 좋아해요 (igeo joahaeyo).
I like kimchi
김치 좋아해요 (kimchi joahaeyo).
I don’t like this
이거 싫어해요 (igeo sireohaeyo).
I don’t like kimchi. It’s smells
김치 싫어해, 냄새다(gimchi sirohae naemsaeda)
How to Respond to I Like You in Korean
Did someone tell you they “like you” but you have no idea how to respond?
Being liked is also one of the greatest feelings in the world.
Here’s how. To do it
We’ve listed a variety of ways to get responses, both formal and informal, depending on what you want to say.
I like you too in Korean
So, if someone confesses their love by saying “I like you,” and you want to reciprocate the feeling, you can reply with 나도 사랑해 (nado saranghae). It means “I like you too.”
Formal
- I like you too
- 저도 당신을 좋아해요 -Jeo-do Dang-shin-eul joahaeyo
Informal
- I like you too
- 나도 너를 좋아해-Na-do Neo-reul joahae
Thank you in Korean
If someone says they like you? or compliments you by saying you are pretty or handsome, you can just say “Thank you.”
Formal
- Thank you
- 고맙습니다-Go-mab-seub-ni-da
Informal
- Thank you
- 고마워-Go-ma-wua
“Me too”
If someone says “Hey, I like you.”, you can simply respond 저도요[Jeo-do-yo] means “Oh, me too.” Where 저 (Jeo) means ‘Me/I’ in a formal way,나 (Na) means ‘Me/I’ in informal speech,도 (Do) = too.
Formal
- Me too
- 저도요-Jeo-do-yo
Informal
- Me too
- 나도-Na-do
Go away.
If you say “no, go away”, you can say it like 싫어요, 저리가세요where 싫다 (Sil-ta) means ‘hate/dislike’ and 저리가 (Jeo-ri-ga) means “go away”.
Formal
- No, go away
- 싫어요, 저리가세요 Sil-eo-yo, Jeo-ri-ga-sae-yo
Informal
- No, go away
- 싫어, 저리가 Sil-eo, jeo-ri-ga
I like you Very Much in Korean
If you want to say “I like you very much in Korean”, simply add the degree modifier 너무(neomu) means “very much” or 많이 (mani) means “a lot,” before the verb.
For example,
- i like you a lot.
- 많이 좋아해요 (mani joahaeyo)
- i like you very much.
- 너무좋아해 (neomu joahae.)
I don’t like you in Korean
What if you don’t have a liking for somebody, and if you want to let them know, you need to say, “I don’t like you or I hate you”.
But how do you say “I don’t like you” in Korean?
Here’s how to say I don’t like you or I hate you in Korean
- I hate you(literally)/i don’t like you -내가 너를 싫어
- I do not like you [formal]-저는 당신을 좋아하지 않아요
- I do not like you [informal]-네가 너를 좋아하지 않아
Korean Love Words|Essential Korean words related to like
Here’s a list of common words that you’ll hear in Korean dating, from cute words to serious lifelong commitments.
This vocabulary will be extremely useful when you’re dating in Korea.
- Lover- 연인-yeonin
- romance-연애-yeonae
- love-사랑-Sarang
- Baby-자기-jagi
- First love-첫사랑 (cheotsarang).
- Husband – 남편 (nampyeon)
- Wife – 아내 (anae)
- Special someone– 아끼는 사람 (akkineun saram)
- Honey- 여보-yeobo
- Love letter-연애 편지-yeon-ae pyeonji
- relationship-관계 (gwangye).
- secret crush- 짝사랑-[jjaksarang]
- Date(romantic)- 데이트 [De-i-t]
- Romantic- 로맨틱한 (romantikhan) and 낭만적인 (nangmanjeokin)
- Blind date- 소개팅[Sogaeting]
- Couple- 커플[keopeul]
- kiss (quick peck)-뽀뽀 [ppoppo]
- Love triangle-삼각관계[samgakkkwangye]
- flirt-작업[jageop]
- Heart-마음-[ma-eum]
- feeling-느낌[neukkim]
- player-바람둥이 (baramdungi)
- Boyfriend-남자친구-Namja-chingu
- Marriage- 결혼-Kyeor-hon
- engagement-약혼-yakon
- boyfriend or girlfriend-애인[aein]
- Lovely- 사랑스러운 ( sarangseureoun)
- Girlfriend-여자친구[Yeoja-chingu]
- hit on-이혼[ihon]
- cheat on- 바람피우다[barampiuda]
I love you in Korean
If you are somewhere between liking someone a bit and dropping the L bomb, how about “I love you” instead?
This Korean verb ‘사랑하다‘ means ‘to love’ . You can use one of the following expressions depending on the relationship with whom you are speaking:
Here are three examples of how to say I like you with someone’s name:
Informal:
Eun Jung, I like you
은정아, 사랑해 [Eun Jung-a , saranghae]
Polite:
Bon-Hwa, I like you
봉화 씨, 사랑해요 [Bon-Hwa-ssi,saranghaeyo]
Formal:
Bon-Hwa, I like you
봉화씨, 사랑합니다. –[Bon-Hwa-ssi, sarang-hap-ni-da]
How to say I miss you in Korean?
Have you ever felt like you want to see someone as often as you want to.
You can use the word 보고 싶어요 when you want to express “I miss you” in Korean. This is made up of 보다 (to see) and 고 싶다 (want in Korean).
Cute Korean Phrases to Show Your Love
- I miss you
- 보고 싶어- bogo sipeo
- I like you-좋아해-joahae
- You are so cute!
- 너무 귀여워요!-neomu gwiyeowoyo!
- I like you a lot
- 많이 좋아해- mani joahae
- I love you
- 사랑해- saranghae
- Give me a hug!
- 안아 줘!ana jwo!
- You are handsome!
- 잘 생겼어요!-jal saenggyeosseoyo!
- You are pretty!
- 예쁘네요!-yeppeuneyo!
- You are charming!
- 매력적이네요!-maeryeokjeogineyo!
- You look great!
- 멋지네요!-meotjineyo!
- You are so sweet!
- 정말 친절하네요!-jeongmal chinjeolhaneyo!
- I can’t give you up
- 당신을 포기할 수 없어요-dangsineul pogihal su eopseoyo
- I can’t live without you
- 넌 없이는 못 살아- neon eopsineun mot sara
- I want to see you
- 보고 싶어- bogo sipeo
- I want to hug you
- 안아주고 싶어- anajugo sipeo
- I’ve got a crush on you
- 너에게 반했어Neo-ege banhaesseo
- I think of you as more than a friend
- 나는 너를 친구 이상으로 생각해- Naneun neoreul chingu isangeuro saengakhae
- You are my ideal type!
- 너는 내 이상형이야!- noneun nae isanghyongiya
- Will you marry me?
- 나랑 결혼할래?- Narang gyeor-hon hallae?
- I want to be with you
- 같이 있고 싶어- gachi itgo sipeo
- Can I Kiss you?
- 키스해도 돼?- Kiss-haedo dwe?
- I would like to spend more time with you
- 너랑 더 오래 같이 있고 싶어- neorang deo orae gachi itgo sipeo
- Will you be my Valentine(girlfriend or boyfriend)?
- 나랑 사귈래?- Narang saguillae?
- Would you like to date?
- 사귈래요? (sagwillaeyo)
Conclusion
If you’re just starting your Korean language journey, don’t worry about memorizing all of these different ways to say “I like you”
Just focus on 좋아해(joahae) and좋아해요 (joahaeyo).
Once you get the hang of those, then you can start experimenting with the other variations.
here are some useful resources to read more about this topic
https://quizlet.com/468591239/i-like-dont-like-and-do-you-like-in-korean-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/26637413/korean-hangul-do-you-i-like-flash-cards/
https://www.zenrooms.com/blog/romantic-korean-words/
Now that you know how to say “I like you” in Korean, it’s time to put your new skills to the test. Why not confess your likeness to someone special in Korean?
If you do, be sure to let us know how it went in the comments below.
We’d love to hear from you!
