Lesson 17
Likes, Dislikes, and Preferences
Expressing Likes with 好き (Suki)
In English, 'to like' is a verb. However, in Japanese, the word for like—好き (すき, suki)—is classified grammatically as a na-adjective. Because it is an adjective describing a state or feeling toward something rather than an action, the item you like is marked with the particle が (ga) rather than the direct object particle を (wo). The standard sentence pattern is '[Topic/Person] は [Item] が 好きです' ([Topic] wa [Item] ga suki desu), meaning '[Topic] likes [Item]'.
When the topic is yourself, '私は' (watashi wa) is usually omitted because context makes it clear. For example, 'いぬが好きです' (Inu ga suki desu) means 'I like dogs.' To form the negative ('do not like'), conjugate 好き like any other na-adjective: change です (desu) to じゃありません (ja arimasen) or ではありません (dewa arimasen). For instance, 'トマトが好きじゃありません' (Tomato ga suki ja arimasen) means 'I do not like tomatoes.'
Expressing Dislikes with 嫌い (Kirai)
The opposite of 好き (suki) is 嫌い (きらい, kirai), which means 'disliked' or 'hated'. A critical point for beginners is that even though 嫌い ends with the hiragana 'い' (i), it is not an i-adjective. It is an exceptional na-adjective ending in the sound 'ai'. Consequently, it follows the exact same grammatical rules as 好き: the target of dislike is marked with が (ga), and the polite negative form is 嫌いじゃありません (kirai ja arimasen).
For example, 'にんじんが嫌いです' (Ninjin ga kirai desu) translates to 'I dislike carrots.' While grammatically correct, stating 嫌いです can sound very blunt or harsh in Japanese culture. To sound polite and indirect, native speakers often soften a dislike by using the negative of 好き with the adverb あまり (amari, 'not very much'): 'にんじんはあまり好きじゃありません' (Ninjin wa amari suki ja arimasen - 'I don't like carrots very much'). Note that when using あまり in this contrastive way, the particle は (wa) frequently replaces が (ga).
Emphasizing Preferences: 大好き (Daisuki) and 大嫌い (Daikirai)
When you want to express that you love something or hate something passionately, you can attach the kanji 大 (dai, meaning 'big' or 'great') as a prefix to form 大好き (だいすき, daisuki) and 大嫌い (だいきらい, daikirai). Like their base words, both of these are na-adjectives that use the particle が (ga) to mark the noun.
For example, 'アニメが大好きです' (Anime ga daisuki desu) means 'I love anime' or 'I like anime very much.' Conversely, 'へびが大嫌いです' (Hebi ga daikirai desu) means 'I hate snakes.' Because 大嫌い expresses intense hatred, it should be reserved for strong negative feelings toward things like pests or extreme phobias, rather than food served by a host.
Comparing Two Options with のほうが (No Hou Ga)
To ask someone which of two options they prefer, use the pattern '[Option A] と [Option B] と どちらが 好きですか' ([Option A] to [Option B] to dochira ga suki desu ka?). The question word どちら (dochira) means 'which one (of two)'. For example: 'コーヒーと お茶と どちらが 好きですか' (Koohii to ocha to dochira ga suki desu ka? - 'Which do you like better, coffee or tea?').
To answer this question, use the pattern '[Chosen Option] の ほうが 好きです' ([Chosen Option] no hou ga suki desu). The phrase のほうが indicates 'the side/alternative of'. For example: 'コーヒーの ほうが 好きです' (Koohii no hou ga suki desu - 'I prefer coffee / I like coffee more'). If you want to explicitly state the comparison in one sentence, add 'より' (yori, meaning 'than'): 'お茶より コーヒーの ほうが 好きです' (Ocha yori koohii no hou ga suki desu - 'I like coffee more than tea').
Superlative Preferences with 一番 (Ichiban)
When choosing a favorite out of a category of three or more items, Japanese uses the word 一番 (いちばん, ichiban), which literally means 'number one' or 'most'. To ask about someone's favorite item in a category, use '[Category] の なかで 何/だれ/どこ が 一番 好きですか' ([Category] no naka de nani/dare/doko ga ichiban suki desu ka?), where の中で (no naka de) means 'within/among'.
For example, to ask 'What is your favorite fruit?', say: 'くだものの なかで 何が 一番 好きですか' (Kudamono no naka de nani ga ichiban suki desu ka?). To answer that you like apples the best, state the specific item followed by が一番好きです: 'りんごが 一番 好きです' (Ringo ga ichiban suki desu - 'I like apples the best').
Lesson quiz · 1 of 5
Which particle correctly completes this sentence: 私はいぬ＿＿好きです。(I like dogs.)