In Japanese, the words 好き（すき） and きらい are used to talk about likes and dislikes. They are simple, very common, and appear early in Japanese learning—but they work a little differently from English.
Let’s break down how to use them naturally.
Stronger Ways to Say Like and Dislike
You can make your feelings stronger by adding 大（だい） in front of the word.
- 大好き（だいすき） – really like / love
- 大きらい（だいきらい） – really dislike / hate
Examples
コーヒーが大好きです。
I really like coffee.
ピーマンが大きらいです。
I really hate green peppers.
Talking About People
You can use 好き and きらい to talk about people, but you need to be careful.
あの人が好きです。
This sentence can mean:
- “I like that person.”
- or “I have romantic feelings for that person.”
Because of this ambiguity, が好き is often interpreted romantically when the topic is a person. Be careful when using it, especially in real-life conversations.
Asking Someone What They Like
Here are some common ways to ask someone about their likes and dislikes.
Polite
何が好きですか。
What do you like?
食べ物は何がきらいですか。
What food do you dislike?
Casual
何が好き？
What do you like?
きらいな食べ物ある？
Is there any food you dislike?
A Common Mistake to Avoid
In Japanese, 好き is not used as a verb.
❌ コーヒーを好きです
✅ コーヒーが好きです
Even though “like” is a verb in English, 好き works more like an adjective in Japanese. That’s why you use が, not を.
Quick Summary
- 好き – like
- きらい – dislike
- Use が, not を
- Drop です to make it casual
- 大好き and 大きらい make your feelings stronger
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll notice 好き everywhere. You’ll actually see it much earlier than you might expect when learning Japanese.
