How to Say “I Love You” in 15 Different Languages
How to Say 'I Love You' in Different Languages
Table of Content

How to Say 'I Love You' in 12 Different Languages

1. How to Say 'I Love You' in Chinese

我爱你 (Wo ai ni)

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Countries: China, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, Hongkong

Usually to express romantic feelings, Chinese people would say “我喜欢你” instead. Here are some phrases that are used to confess to someone.

我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐ huān nǐ) = “I like you.”

我希望和你交往 (wǒ xī wàng hé nǐ jiāo wǎng) = “I would for us to date.”

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
say I Love You in Chinese

2. How to Say 'I Love You' in French

Language: French

If your paramour is of the French persuasion, just say, “Je t’aime.”

Say, “ma chérie,” if you’re saying it to a woman or “mon chéri” if you’re confessing you love to a man.

“Aimer” means to “love”, but it can also mean “to like”, as in “j’aime le foie gras” (“I like foie gras”). However, when you say “je t’aime” to someone, it means you are really in love with that person – it is not something you can say thoughtlessly.

“Je t’aime” can also be told to parents and siblings.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say 'I Love You' in French

3. How to Say 'I Love You' in Spanish

Te amo

Language:Spanish

Countries: Hispanic America, Spain, United States, Equatorial Guinea, Western Sahara, Pacific islands

The sweet and simple words te amo perfectly encapsulates that spirit, of lovers lost in each other’s arms. It’s an informal pronoun used, expressing real intimacy. And Spanish-speakers don’t toss amo around lightly—there are other ways of saying “like,” “like a lot” and “like-like” in their language. Amo is reserved for the real deal.

If you’d like to put “forever” in there because you’re absolutely sure they’re the one you have to spend the rest of your life with, you can say, “te amo para siempre.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say 'I Love You' in Spainish

In some areas, people may also say “te amo” to express affection for their family members. However, this use changes from region to region.

If you’re not sure of the norms in an area, you can play it safe by reserving “te amo” for your romantic lover.

Te Quiero

This is a more general way to say “I love you” in Spanish. People can say “te quiero” to their romantic lovers, but it has a more casual, less serious connotation.

Although “quiero” means “I want” when translated to English, “te quiero” doesn’t have the same connotation as “I want you.” It’s a term used to be affectionate to your friends, family, and anyone else you’d like to express love for.

4. How to Say 'I Love You' in German

Ich liebe Dich

Language: German

Countries: Austria, Belgium (Eupen-Malmedy), Germany, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, South Tirol (in Italy)

If ever in this lifetime you find yourself falling for a handsome or beautiful (or beautifully handsome) German, be prepared to say, “Ich liebe Dich.”

Ich liebe dich auch

Meaning “I love you too”. Used as a response to the above. It’s often shortened to “Ich dich auch!”

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say 'I Love You' in German

Ich mag dich: Translation of “I like you.” You can use it to tell someone you are really fond of him (or her). A stronger form would be “Ich mag dich sehr!” (I am very fond of you!)

5. How to Say 'I Love You' in Japanese

愛してる (Aishiteru)

Language: Japanese

Countries: Japan

Only use “Aishiteru” when you’re really committed to the person you’re telling it too. The Japanese don’t take that one lightly.

But if you really want to tell your partner how much you like them, you can say, “大好き” (daisuki), which means “I like you a lot.”

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
How to Say 'I Love You' in Japanese

6. How to Say 'I Love You' in Korean

사랑해 (Saranghae)

Language: Korean

Countries: North Korea, South Korea

When you say, “saranghae,” the answer you would be looking for would probably be, “judo sarang haeyo. (I love you, too!)

If the other person responds with something in the vicinity of, “chin-goo ro namgo shipuyo,” (I want to stay friends), then maybe they’re just not that into you…but you may also have just gotten a friend for life, if things aren’t too awkward after this exchange.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
How to Say 'I Love You' in Korean

7. How to Say 'I Love You' in Arabic

ٲنَا بحِبَّك (Ana bahebak)

Language: Arabic

Countries: North Africa, Western Asia (Middle East), East Africa

There are around 200 million Arabic speakers, with a rich culture and tradition that dates back millennia.

No matter what Arabic-speaking person you fall in love with, “Ana bahebak” are the magic words you need.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
How to Say 'I Love You' in Arabic. Picture: Wikihow

Say “ana uHibbuka” to publicly and officially declare your love to a male. “Ana” is pronounced “ah-nuh,” and rhymes with the girl’s names “Hannah” and “Anna.” Using this method to say “I love you” is normally reserved for situations in which you want your lover and everyone else to know your true feelings.

8. How to Say 'I Love You' in Hindi
मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हुँ (Main tumse pyar kartha hoon)

Language: Hindi

Countries: India, Fiji, Nepal

The bottom line is that “main tumse pyar karta hoon” is the phrase you need to express love to a woman.To express this most profound emotion to a man, say, “main tumse pyar karti hoon.”

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say I Love You in Hindi. Picture: Wikihow

Note that this phrase works not just when speaking romantically to a female, but also when expressing your love to a male, like, for instance, a brother, son, friend, etc.

9. How to Say 'I Love You' in Russian

Я тебя люблю (Ya tebya liubliu)

Language: Russian

Countries: Russia, former Republics of the Soviet Union, Mongolia

Take a page from them and learn Russian for “I love you”: Ya tebya liubliu. (Say the last word three times fast, and it’ll start to sound like “love, love, love.”)

If you want to say I love you in Russian to your girlfriend, say “Я люблю тебя.” or you can play with words and say “Я тебя люблю.”

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 11 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
How to Say 'I Love You' in Russian. Picture: Wikihow

10. How to Say 'I Love You' in Hebrew

אני אוהב אותך (Ani ohev otakh)

Language: Hebrew

If you’re saying “I love you” to a woman,” you’d say, “ani ohev otakh.”

On the other hand, if you’re saying “I love you” to a man, you’d say, “ani ohevet otkha.”

Female to male:

אני אוהבת אותך (ani ohevet otcha)

אני מתגעגעת אליך (ani mitga'aga'at elecha)

Male to female:

אני אוהב אותך (ani ohev otach)

אני מתגעגע אלייך (ani mitga'age'a elayich)

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say 'I Love You' in Hebrew

11. How to Say 'I Love You' in Greek

Σ΄αγαπώ (Se agapo)

Language: Greek

And greeting the great Socrates by the door, she would probably say, “mou leípeis,” which means “I miss you” in Greek but translates much closer to “you are missing from me.”

These words are all still used today in modern Greece.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say 'I Love You' in Greek

12. How to Say 'I Love You' in Italia

Ti amo

Language: Italian

when you hear, “ti amo,” you’d better watch out—that Italian is out to make you fall in love. This is the language of love, and you can finally win the heart of your soulmate with a simple “ti amo”.

How to Say I LOVE YOU in Top 12 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages
Say "I Love You" in Italian to your special someone

However, Italians have different ways to express their feelings, depending on the context. If you are speaking with your partner, you can surely say “ti amo”. On the other hand, if you are with your friends or your relatives, you should prefer “ti voglio bene”. They both mean “I love you”, but as you can see, they should be used in different situations to avoid to say something embarrassing by accident!

*So whether you’re telling someone I love you, je t’aime, wo ai ni, nakupenda, or I love you, you can say it in many different ways today.

how to say i love you in 55 of the worlds most spoken languages How to say I LOVE YOU in 55 of the World’s Most Spoken Languages

Saying love someone is magical as it can make them feel loved. But if you don't the want to use these common expressions to say ...