好き

Japanese Slang Japanese ★★★★★ 5/5 casual すきsuki

読みすき

ローマ字 suki

漢字の分解 好 (good/fond) → liking, preference, affection

発音 /su.ki/

意味

I like you/this — used freely in casual Japanese to express affection or enthusiasm for almost anything.

While 好き literally means 'like,' in casual usage it functions as an all-purpose expression of positive feeling. Japanese speakers say 好き about foods, songs, characters, hobbies, and people with equal ease. On social media, a simple 好き as a comment or reply is a quick way to express 'I love this.' The boundary between 好き (like) and romantic interest is determined entirely by context.

例文

この曲好きすぎてリピートが止まらない。
推しの新しい写真集好きしかない。
このアニメ好きって言ったら趣味合うね。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, social media, fan communities, everyday conversation

トーン: warm, enthusiastic

正しい言い方

このカフェの雰囲気好き。 (I love the vibe of this café.)
好き！もっと見せて。 (Love it! Show me more.)

避ける言い方

仕事の場面で「好き」を多用すると子供っぽく聞こえる (Overusing 'suki' in work settings sounds childish)

よくある間違い

Assuming 好き always has romantic meaning — context determines whether it means 'I like this thing' or 'I like you romantically'
Being afraid to say 好き casually — Japanese speakers use it much more freely than English 'like'

起源と歴史

From the kanji 好 (good/fond). One of the most fundamental words in Japanese for expressing preference and affection. The casual, enthusiastic usage on social media amplified its role as a quick, universal compliment in the 2010s.

文化的背景

時代: Fundamental Japanese, amplified by social media in 2010s

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. One of the most versatile and commonly used words in the language.