How to say my love in korean

In Western cultures: saying ‘I love you’ to someone immediately after meeting them is like swearing at a children’s birthday party.

It’ll probably get you this look…

In contrast: the Korean locals are romantics. It’s not unheard of for someone to drop the ‘L-Bomb’ after just 2 of 3 dates. Yes… really!

Fascinating cultural differences like this are worth bearing in mind when learning Korean.

The art of saying I love you in Korean

Perhaps it’s the romantic K-Dramas on TV, the sensual food, or beautiful beaches and mountains. Maybe it’s the locals’ love of a blind date (소개팅). 

Whatever the reason: Korea has caught the love bug. Forget the ‘three days rule’: you are expected to text someone right after your date if you like them! 

Fun fact. Did you know Korean couples often get each other couple rings 커플링 after 100 days together!? Cute right?

Make sure to not to confuse these with buying a wedding ring 결혼반지 to avoid a longer commitment than you signed up for. If you want to know what you're paying for in a gift shop, here's the word list for gifts in Korean.

The art of saying I love you is more about how you say it, not when. Because in Korean culture, the language you use for many words and phrases depends on your relationship with the person you’re speaking to: their age, social status and how well you know them.

Different ways to say I love you in Korean

Got someone on your mind? Or just need to tell your latest round of Korean fried chicken and beer (chimaek 치맥) how you feel? Either way, take note of these phrases.

How to say 'love' in Korean = 사랑 (sarang) (noun)

To fall in love (verb) = 사랑에 빠지다

사랑해 (saranghae) = I love you (casual)

Spoken between lovers and friends. Best used with people you are really close with and who are the same age or younger than you!

사랑행 (saranghaeng) = I love you (cute, casual)

사랑해용 (saranghaeyong) = I love you (more polite)

Fun fact: the addedㅇunder 해 brings that extra romantic feeling. Can you see it? This is a slightly politer version. Try it out with your parents.

Context is everything in Korean language. See this two variations:

Female to older male = 오빠 사랑해요  (oppa saranghaeyo)

Male to older female = 누나 사랑해요   (una saranghaeyo)

사랑합니다 (sarang-hamnida) = I love you (formal)

The most formal I love you. Use this with someone older who has more social status. Perhaps your grandparents. You may hear it used during a speech or announcement.

Sensing a pattern here? From 사랑해 (saranghae) – we’ve added 요 to make it polite and 니다 to make it formal.

나도 사랑해 (nado saranghae) = I love you too!

Feeling the love?

The locals let their feelings out in Korea! Go on… try speaking this:

More ways to say I love you in Korean

정말 많이 사랑해  (jeongmal mani saranghae) = I love you so much (casual)

내 사랑 (nae sarang) = my love

If you're even ready to introduce your lover to your family or the other way round, here's a useful phrase list for talking about your family.

How to say "I love someone else" in Korean

Getting a little complicated? Love was never supposed to be easy…

나는 다른 사람을 사랑하고 있어요 = I love someone else

Disclaimer: you’ll be saying this to all the other apps in your phone when you start using our app’s Korean courses. Just saying. 😉

Is it actually your friend who's in a sticky situation? Why not learn how to give relationship advice in Korean? If you're looking for non-romantic advice phrases, we've got you covered as well.

If you’re a K-Drama fan... or soon to be… you’ll hear ‘saranghae’사랑해 (casual: I love you) spoken a lot during romantic dramas like Romance is a Bonus Book, Touch Your Heart and My First First Love.

If you’re a K-Pop fan. Especially if you’re part of the global fandom for boyband BTS, you’ll be making ‘I love you’ a priority. People’s obsession for BTS and other K-Pop bands is driving them to learn Korean! Here are even more great phrases to express your love for K-Pop.

Keen to tone it down a bit? That’s cool. Here are a few different options to express your affection in Korean.

How to say I like you in Korean

 Can’t keep your feelings for someone down but you’d rather not say I love you?

많이 좋아해 (mani joahae) = I like you a lot 

좋아해 (joahae) = I like you (casual)

좋아해요 (joahaeyo) = I like you (polite)

좋아합니다 (joahamnida) = I like you (formal)

Say these to the friends, girlfriends, or boyfriends you make speaking in Korea! Click here to learn more useful phrases you’ll use in real life. 👀

Feeling romantic? Here are two more for the road.

만나고 싶어 (mannago sipeo) = I want to see you

너 썸 타는 사람 있어? = do you have something going on with anyone?

How to say I miss you in Korean? 

Can’t keep someone off your mind?

I miss you = 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo)

I miss you so much = 너무 보고 싶어 (neomu bogo sipeo)

How to say I hate you in Korean

Woaahhh calm down. You’re doing so well on your Korean learning journey. But just in case you need to let out some anger… here you go.

Believe it or not. There’s even levels of formality for this!

싫어해 (sileohae) = I hate you (informal: friends or youngers)

싫어해요 (sileohaeyo) = I hate you (politer: older or not particularly close people)

싫어합니다 (sileohamnida) = I hate you (formal: speeches, interviews, or presentations)

If you're looking for more than just one phrase and want to get ready to have longer conversations about love and relationships, this lesson covers 60+ phrases to talk about romance.

So there you have it. These are the best ways to express your love or liking of someone in Korean. In different situations! We’d love to hear from you: so try these out and tweet us @Memrise to let us know how you’re getting on?

You CAN and WILL learn Korean. Start learning super useful words & phrases to speak with Korean native speakers right… wait for it… NOW. Click below.

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How do you say “I love you” in Korean? And what does “saranghae” mean?

Translate “I love you” in Korean through an app, and it’ll tell you the answer is 사랑해 (saranghae). And 사랑해 (saranghae) does mean “I love you” — but it might not be the right phrase to use!

Why? Because Korean has a hierarchical way of speaking. That means you change how formally you speak depending on who you’re talking to and the situation.

Besides that, Koreans only recently started to be more open with saying “I love you.”

The younger generations will say it more often now, but still not as often as Western cultures might. And older generations, or even parents to kids, may never say it at all.

So before you decide to throw around such an important sentiment in Korean, learn the appropriate way to say it!

How to Say “I Love You” in Korean

If you’re already somewhat familiar with how Korean works, here’s a quick list of ways to say “I love you” in Korean as well as romantic Korean phrases. Then we’ll get into the nitty-gritty (and even more phrases) below.

• “I love you” (casual) – 사랑해 (saranghae)
• “I love you” (polite) – 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo)
• “I like you” (casual) – 좋아해 (jowahae)
• “I like you” (polite) – 좋아해요 (jowahaeyo)
• “I love you, too” (casual) – 나도 사랑해 (nado sarangae)
• “Love” – 사랑 (sarang)
• “My love” – 내 사랑 (nae sarang)
• “Honey” (for women or men) – 여보 (yeobo)
• “Honey” (for men, only if the woman is younger) – 오빠 (oppa)
• “Baby” / “Babe” – 자기야 (jagiya) / 자기 (jagi)
• “Boyfriend” – 남친 (namchin) or 남자 친구 (namjachingu)
• “Girlfriend” – 여친 (yeochin) or 여자 친구 (yeojachingu)
• “Husband” – 남편 (nampyeon)
• “Wife” – 아내 (anae)
• “Special someone” or “Someone precious” – 아끼는 사람 (akkineun saram)
• “In love” – 사랑에 빠진 (sarang-e ppajin)
• “Would you like to date?” – 사귈래요? (sagwillaeyo)
• “I want to be with you” – 같이 있고 싶어요 (gat-i itgo sipeoyo)
• “I miss you” – 보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo)

“I Love You” in Korean – Saranghaeyo

Let’s start with the standard, polite form of “I love you” in Korean – 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo).

사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) is a respectful way to say “I love you”. Because it’s respectful, this phrase often said to parents. In this type of situation, you’re not only saying “I love you”, but you’re also expressing gratitude for all they do.

You could also say 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) to confess your feelings to someone.

By the way, if you’re wondering how to write “I love you” in Korean because you see it romanized two different ways, don’t worry.

In Korean, the ㄹ character is in between an “l” and an “r” sound in English. So sometimes it’s romanized as salanghaeyo and other times saranghaeyo. But they’re both written the same way in Korean Hangul: 사랑해요.

Now, the informal (and most common) way to say “I love you” in the Korean language is 사랑해 (saranghae).

사랑해 (saranghae) is used between couples, and sometimes even close friends. So if you’re already in a relationship, this is the phrase you’d use.

And to say “I love you, too” in Korean, you’d say 나도 사랑해 (nado sarangae).

There is a formal way to say I love you, which is 사랑합니다 (saranghamnida). But… It’s really too formal for most situations, so it’s not used often.

The most common place you’ll hear this particular phrase is at K-Pop concerts when the bands will say “사랑합니다!” to the audience.

Anytime you address many people at once, like in front of an audience, you’d use the -imnida (formal) endings to show respect.

“Love” in Korean – Sarang

“Love” in the Korean language is 사랑 (sarang).

When you combine it with the verb 하다 (hada, “to do”), it becomes a verb “to love” – 사랑하다 (saranghada).

You’ll notice from the last section then, that all we did was conjugate the verb, 하다 (hada), to different politeness levels. There’s no “I” or “you” in the phrase at all — you’re really only telling someone “Love!”

Korean is a contextual language. When you’re telling someone you love them, it’s usually understood from the context that you mean that person.

But if it’s not clear, or you want to tell someone else who it is you love, then you’d say:

• “_ is the one I love.” – 는/은 내가 사랑하는 사람이야. (neun/eun naega sarangha neun saramiya.)
• “I love that person.” – 나는 그 사람을 사랑해요. (na-neun geu saram-eul saranghaeyo.)
• “I love you” (with “I” and “you”) – 나는 너를 사랑해 (na-neun neo-leul saranghae)

“I Like You” in Korean – Jowahae

좋아해 (jowahae) comes from the verb 좋아하다 (jowahada), meaning “to like.” In its casual form here, you can confess your feelings to a friend, classmate, or love interest.

But like “I love you”, there’s also a polite and a formal form:

• 좋아해요 (jowahaeyo) – “I like you” (polite)
• 좋아합니다 (jowahamnida) – “I like you” (formal)

Again, you won’t hear the formal version often. But you may hear the polite form, especially to show respect during a confession of love.

If you want to use either of these phrases as shorthand, like “I like u” or “I love u” in Korean, then you would just use the short, casual forms: 좋아해! (joahae) or 사랑해 (saranghae).

You can also add emphasis with 정말 (jeongmal) which means “really.”

정말좋아해요. Jeongmal jowahaeyo. “I really like you.”

“My Love” in Korean – Nae Sarang

For “my love” in Korean, you just add “my” to sarang (“love”, remember?) — 내 사랑 (nae sarang).

There are other romantic nicknames you can call your love though, too. Some examples:

• “Honey” (for women or men) – 여보 (yeobo)
• “Honey” (for men, only if the woman is younger) – 오빠 (oppa)
• “Cutie” – 귀요미 (gwiyomi)
• “Baby” / “Babe” – 자기야 (jagiya) / 자기 (jagi)
• “Princess” – 공주님 (gongjunim)
• “Prince” – 왕자님 (wangjanim)

“Boyfriend” and “Girlfriend” in Korean

You’ve probably heard 오빠 (oppa) many times in Korean TV shows. That’s because it’s often what women call their boyfriend who is older than them.

Even though 오빠 (oppa) actually is the respectful term for an older brother, it’s become one of the most common and cute ways to refer to your boyfriend in Korean.

But when talking about your significant other to other people, you need to use the correct, polite terms. They are:

• “Boyfriend” – 남친 (namchin) or 남자 친구 (namjachingu)
• “Girlfriend” – 여친 (yeochin) or 여자 친구 (yeojachingu)

The first one is the shortened form, so it’s a bit more casual. The longer form is more polite. But you can use either when talking about your relationship with others.

“Husband” and “Wife” in Korean

You can also call your husband 오빠 (oppa), and many women do. Men sometimes use the English term 와이프 (waipeu) for “wife.”

But again, when talking to others, it’s best to use the polite terms.

For married couples, they are:

• “Husband” – 남편 (nampyeon)
• “Wife” – 아내 (anae)

Must-Know Gesture to Say “I Love You” in Korean

There is a must-know Korean gesture for “I love you”. If you’re a total newbie to Korean pop culture, you’ll soon see it everywhere.

And if you’re a seasoned K-Pop and K-Drama vet, then you know what I’m about to introduce…

By crossing your thumb and index finger to make a heart, it symbolizes 사랑해 (saranghae), or “I love you” in Korean.

For instance, in the popular K-Drama Crash Landing on You, Se-ri pretends to pull a “gift” out of her sweater pocket for the guys and then flashes them this hand gesture.

In this instance, rather than meaning “I love you”, it’s more like “thank you” or when you use emoji hearts to show care in a social media comment.

Other Romantic Korean Phrases

Okay, we’ve got the basics covered. But what about some other romantic phrases in Korean?

I’ve got you. Here are some loving phrases you can use with your special someone… And some bonus slang phrases about dating:

• “I love you very much* – 너무 사랑해요 (neomu saranghaeyo)
• “I love you a lot” – 많이 사랑해요 (mani saranghaeyo)
• “Special someone” or “someone precious” – 아끼는 사람 (akkineun saram)
• Someone who’s full of love, or has many scandalous dating rumors – 사랑꾼 (sarangkkun)
• Someone who falls in love too easy – 금사빠 (geumsappa)
• “In love” – 사랑에 빠진 (sarang-e ppajin)
• “Would you like to date?” – 사귈래요? (sagwillaeyo)
• “I want to be with you” – 같이 있고 싶어요 (gat-i itgo sipeoyo)
• That in-between stage where you’re not a couple but there’s “something” there – 썸 (sseom)
• “I miss you” – 보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo)

Now you’re prepped with tons of ways to tell your special someone how you’re feeling in Korean!

You can confess “I love you” in Korean with 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo). Or admit to your crush you really like him or her with 정말좋아해요 (jeongmal jowahaeyo).

What will you learn next in Korean? Why not try learning Korean numbers or the best Korean phrases for beginners to learn?