How do you say 'I love you' in Japanese?

Answer 1

The direct translation would be [あなたを]愛している "[anata wo] aishite iru." However, this carries with it a much stronger connotation than it would in English and is not as frequently or casually tossed around.

The much more often used, and in most cases more appropriate, expression would be [あなたが]好きです "[anata ga] suki (desu)" or [あなたが]大好きです "[anata ga] daisuki (desu)."

The Japanese often drop subjects and objects from sentences if they are implied. As such, "I" and "you," 私は (watashi ha [hais pronounced wa in this context]) and あなたが／を (anata ga/wo), respectively, can be dropped, the former more so than the latter.

Additionally, dropping だ (da) from 好きだ (suki da) makes the expression much less formal; adding 大 (dai) makes it more forceful. It is the equivalent of "very."

Basic forms:

「私は」[あなたが] (大) 好き {だ} -「watashi ha」[anata ga] (dai) suki {da}

「私は」[あなたを] 愛している -「watashi ha」[anata wo] ai shite iru

Polite forms:

「私は」[あなたが] (大) 好きです -「watashi ha」[anata ga] (dai) suki desu

「私は」[あなたを] 愛しています -「watashi ha」[anata wo] ai shite imasu

Aishiteru

Answer 2

I Love You in Japanese is 愛しています ( aishi te i masu )