Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 4: 9/13

好(す)きLike, Fond of

Structure

Noun + が + 好(す)き + だ

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Noun

  • Word Type

    Adjectival Noun

  • Register

    Standard

About 好き

好(す)き, meaning 'to like', is one of the very common な-Adjectives in Japanese that is used in many different expressions. All な-Adjectives behave similarly to verbs, in that their form changes depending on what comes after them.

For 好(す)き, it will be followed by な when acting as an adjective, or one of either だ or the more polite です when acting as a noun. This distinction is made depending on whether it is linked to another noun, or is independent.

In the example with だ, 好(す)き is expressing that the thing is 'likable' (assertion). However, in the example with な, 好(す)き is expressing 'likability' as a quality of the noun it is attached to.

Caution

好(す)き is considered quite a strong adjective in Japanese when it is directed towards people, so it may be interpreted as romantic interest. 大(だい)好(す)き is often translated as 'love'.

  • 大(だい)好(す)きだよ！
    I love you!

Examples

--:--

    好(す)き？

    Do you like (it)?

    うん、好(す)きだ。

    Yeah, I like (it).

    好(す)きな人(ひと)がいますか。

    Is there someone that you like?

    はい、山田(やまだ)さんが好(す)きです。

    Yes, I like Yamada-san.

    私(わたし)の家(いえ)が好(す)きですか。

    Do you like my house?

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      好き – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

      • IcyIceBear

        IcyIceBear

        Welcome to the community

        It’s like saying
        “Do you like apples?” りんごが好きですか
        “Yeah I like apples.” うん、りんごが好きです

        Vs

        “Do you like apples?” りんごが好きですか
        “Yeah I like em” うん、好きです

        You’re just omitting what it is you like, so the nounが isn’t used in that response.

      • Munroe

        Munroe

        I thought 好きな was to mean favourite

        But then I got this today in my reviews

        好きなスポーツは何ですか

        Which I took to mean what is your favourite sport.

        But apparently it means what sports do you like?

        Which have quite a different meaning.

        How would you differentiate between a favourite thing Vs things that you like?

      • IcyIceBear

        IcyIceBear

        Not really, the meaning stays pretty much the same. Things you like and things you favor is the same.

        The difference here is you don’t know if “sports” is plural or singular. So it could be “what’s your favorite sport” or “what sports are your favorite” ie which do you like/favor. You can ask for the single most favorite by throwing in an 一番

        一番好きなスポーツは何ですか “what is your number one favorite/ most liked sport”

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