How to Say “I Like” and “I Don’t Like” in Japanese | Using Suki（すき）and Kirai（きらい）

Introduction

Want to say “I like sushi” or “I don’t like vegetables” in Japanese?

In this article, we’ll learn how to express likes and dislikes using two essential words:
好き（すき） = like and きらい = dislike.

They may look like verbs at first, but they’re actually な-adjectives, and that means they follow special grammar rules. Don’t worry — we’ll break it down step by step.

1. Basic Pattern: Noun が 好きです / きらいです

The most natural way to say you like or dislike something is:

• [Noun] が 好きです = I like [noun]
• [Noun] が きらいです = I dislike [noun]

Examples:

2. Important Grammar Notes

Use が, Not を

Many learners mistakenly use を, but 好き／きらい always use the が-particle to mark the object.

✅ Correct: 猫ねこが好すきです。= I like cats.
❌ Wrong: 猫を好きです。

Treat 好き・きらい as な-adjectives

That means:

To modify a noun: Add な

• 好すきな食たべ物もの = food I like
  • Incorrect: 好き食べ物
• きらいな人ひと = person I dislike
  • Incorrect: きらい人

To negate: Use じゃないです / じゃありません

• 猫ねこが好すきじゃないです = I don’t like cats.
• 野菜やさいがきらいじゃありません = I don’t dislike vegetables.

If you want to review な-adjective, read this article: How to Use Japanese na-Adjectives | Describing People and Things with な-Form

Use は in questions or contrast

When asking questions or comparing:

• 野菜やさいは好すきですか。 = Do you like vegetables?
• 動物どうぶつが好すきです。虫むしは好すきじゃないです。= I like animals. I don’t like insects.

📝 「Xは好きですか」 (X wa suki desu ka? – Do you like X?)

The particle は (wa) acts as a topic marker. It singles out a specific topic (in this case, “X”) that the speaker wants to talk about or ask about.

When someone asks 「Xは好きですか」, they are usually bringing up “X” specifically (out of many other potential things like sake, coffee, fish, etc.) and asking for your opinion about that topic. This is why は (wa) is commonly used in this type of question.

(Note: While using が (ga) as in 「Xが好きですか」 (X ga suki desu ka) is also grammatically correct, using は (wa) clearly establishes “X” as the main subject being discussed in the question.)

gokigen penguin

If you want to learn more about particle は and が, read this article: Japanese Particles: How to Distinguish Between wa (は) and ga (が)

3. Q&A Practice

Try answering these!

1. コーヒーは好すきですか。 = Do you like coffee?
   → はい、好きです。／いいえ、好きじゃないです。
2. 肉にくは好すきですか。 = Do you like meat?
   → はい、好きです。／いいえ、きらいです。
3. 旅行りょこうは好きですか。 = Do you like traveling?
   → はい、大好だいすきです。／いいえ、あまり好きじゃないです。

Useful Expressions

You can also say:

• 大好だいすき = love it
• 大きらい = hate it
• あまり好きじゃない = don’t really like it
• 好きでもきらいでもない = neither like nor dislike it

gokigen penguin

The translation of “大好き” uses “love.” Want to learn more about why “好き (like)” is used to translate “love”? Check out this article: How to Say “I Love You” in Japanese: Phrases, Cultural Nuance, and Alternatives

4. Making Sentences with People

You can use 好き and きらい for people, too.

• 田中たなかさんが好すきです。 = I like Mr./Ms. Tanaka. / I love Mr./Ms. Tanaka.
• あの人ひとがきらいです。 = I dislike that person.

💡 Be careful with using this about people — it can sound very direct!

5. Real-Life Examples

サーフィンが大だい好すきです。
I love surfing.

果物くだものは好すきでもきらいでもないです。
I neither like nor dislike fruit.

旅行りょこうはあまり好すきじゃないです。
I don’t really like traveling.

納豆なっとうがだいきらいです。
I hate natto.

6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

7. Conclusion

Now you can express what you like and dislike in Japanese!

✅ Use 好き（すき）and きらい
✅ Use が instead of を
✅ Treat them as な-adjectives
✅ Practice with questions and real-life sentences

🎯 Try answering these:

• What food do you like?
• What movie do you dislike?
• What’s something you love?