Likes and Dislikes 好き/嫌い in Japanese

Overview

Expressing what you like and dislike is fundamental to everyday conversation. In Japanese, the words 好き (suki -- like) and 嫌い (kirai -- dislike) work as な-adjectives, not as verbs. This is a key difference from English: where English says "I like music," Japanese says something closer to "music is likeable (to me)."

At CEFR A1, learning 好き and 嫌い lets you talk about your preferences in food, hobbies, weather, and more. These words appear in virtually every self-introduction and are among the most frequently used expressions in daily Japanese.

Because 好き and 嫌い are adjectives, the thing you like or dislike is marked with the particle が, not を. This surprises many English speakers, who expect an object marker since "like" is a verb in English. Accepting this structural difference early will help you avoid one of the most common beginner mistakes.

How It Works

Basic Pattern

[Thing] が 好き/嫌い です

The topic (the person who likes/dislikes) is often marked with は, and the liked/disliked thing takes が:

Japanese	Reading	English
私は音楽が好きです。	watashi wa ongaku ga suki desu	I like music.
私は野菜が嫌いです。	watashi wa yasai ga kirai desu	I dislike vegetables.

In context, 私は is usually omitted when it is obvious you are talking about yourself.

Degrees of Liking and Disliking

Japanese has convenient intensified forms:

Expression	Reading	Meaning	Intensity
大好き	daisuki	love / like a lot	strong positive
好き	suki	like	positive
まあまあ好き	maamaa suki	somewhat like	mild positive
嫌い	kirai	dislike	negative
大嫌い	daikirai	hate / really dislike	strong negative

Japanese	English
猫が大好きです。(neko ga daisuki desu)	I love cats.
勉強が大嫌いです。(benkyou ga daikirai desu)	I hate studying.

Asking About Preferences

Question	Reading	English
何が好きですか？	nani ga suki desu ka	What do you like?
日本の食べ物は好きですか？	nihon no tabemono wa suki desu ka	Do you like Japanese food?
どんな音楽が好きですか？	donna ongaku ga suki desu ka	What kind of music do you like?

Note: In yes/no questions, the topic often takes は instead of が: 寿司は好きですか？(Do you like sushi?)

Answering Preference Questions

Answer	Japanese	English
Yes, I like it	はい、好きです。	Yes, I like it.
No, not really	いいえ、あまり好きじゃないです。	No, I don't really like it.
Yes, I love it	はい、大好きです。	Yes, I love it.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
音楽が好きです。(ongaku ga suki desu)	I like music.	Basic pattern
野菜が嫌いです。(yasai ga kirai desu)	I dislike vegetables.	嫌い pattern
猫が大好きです。(neko ga daisuki desu)	I love cats.	Intensified form
何が好きですか？(nani ga suki desu ka)	What do you like?	Question with 何
サッカーが好きです。(sakkaa ga suki desu)	I like soccer.	Hobby/sport
納豆が大嫌いです。(nattou ga daikirai desu)	I really dislike natto.	Strong dislike
どんな映画が好きですか？(donna eiga ga suki desu ka)	What kind of movies do you like?	Asking type preference
日本料理が一番好きです。(nihon ryouri ga ichiban suki desu)	I like Japanese food the best.	With 一番 (most)
あまり好きじゃないです。(amari suki ja nai desu)	I don't like it much.	Soft negative
コーヒーより紅茶のほうが好きです。(koohii yori koucha no hou ga suki desu)	I like tea more than coffee.	Comparative preference
夏が好きですか？(natsu ga suki desu ka)	Do you like summer?	Yes/no question
私は犬より猫のほうが好きです。(watashi wa inu yori neko no hou ga suki desu)	I like cats more than dogs.	Full comparative

Common Mistakes

Using を instead of が

• Wrong: 音楽を好きです。
• Right: 音楽が好きです。
• Why: 好き is an adjective, not a verb. The thing you like takes が. This is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers.

Conjugating 好き like a verb

• Wrong: 音楽を好きます。
• Right: 音楽が好きです。
• Why: 好き is a な-adjective, not a verb. It does not conjugate with ます. Use です for the polite form.

Using 好き directly before a noun without な

• Wrong: 好き食べ物は何ですか？
• Right: 好きな食べ物は何ですか？(suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka)
• Why: As a な-adjective, 好き needs な when modifying a noun: 好きな色 (favorite color), 好きな歌手 (favorite singer).

Being too direct with 嫌い

• Wrong: Using 嫌い bluntly when someone offers something.
• Right: あまり好きじゃないです。(I don't really like it.)
• Why: 嫌い is quite direct and can feel harsh. Japanese speakers often soften dislikes by saying あまり好きじゃない (don't really like) or ちょっと... (a little...) instead.

Practice Tips

• Make a personal preference list. Write down 10 things you like (好き/大好き) and 5 things you dislike (嫌い/あまり好きじゃない) in Japanese. Use this as a basis for self-introductions.

• Practice with どんな questions. Ask yourself: どんな食べ物が好きですか？どんな音楽が好きですか？どんなスポーツが好きですか？ Answering these builds fluency with the pattern.

• Learn to soften your dislikes. Practice replacing 嫌いです with あまり好きじゃないです or ちょっと苦手です (I'm not good with it). This sounds more natural and polite in Japanese culture.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: な-Adjectives -- 好き and 嫌い are な-adjectives, so understanding this class is essential