How to Say "I Love You" in 58 Languages
Every phrase below is written the way people actually write it, with a plain-English guide to saying it out loud. Tap any language to see the casual version, the serious version, and whether locals really use it.
TL;DR
- Every phrase below is written the way people actually write it, not transliterated into English letters.
- The pronunciation column is a plain-English respelling, so you can read it out loud straight away.
- Many languages have a softer version and a serious version. The table shows the serious one; each language page shows both.
- Tap any language to see registers, a word-by-word breakdown and when locals actually say it.
Showing all 58 languages
How to Say "I Love You" in 58 Languages
| Language | I love you | Say it like | Family | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇿🇦 Afrikaans | Ek is lief vir jou |
Ek (ek)
|
West Germanic | South Africa, Namibia, Botswana |
| 🇦🇿 Azərbaycan | Mən səni sevirəm |
Mən (Men)
|
Turkic | Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia, Russia |
| 🇮🇩 Bahasa Indonesia | Aku cinta kamu |
A-ku (AH-koo)
|
Austronesian | Indonesia, East Timor |
| 🇲🇾 Bahasa Melayu | Saya cinta padamu |
Sa-ya (SAH-yah)
|
Austronesian | Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia (as Bahasa Indonesia), Southern Thailand |
| 🇩🇰 Dansk | Jeg elsker dig |
Jeg: Sounds like "yigh" (rhymes with "high" but with a "y" s...
|
Indo-European, Germanic, North Germanic | Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Germany |
| 🇩🇪 Deutsch | Ich liebe dich |
ikh lee-buh dikh
Ich (ikh) - stress on 'ikh'
|
Indo-European, Germanic | Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium |
| 🇪🇪 Eesti | Ma armastan sind |
Ma (mah)
|
Uralic, Finnic | Estonia |
| 🇪🇸 Español | Te amo |
teh AH-moh
Te (teh)
|
Indo-European, Romance | Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina |
| 🇵🇭 Filipino | Mahal na mahal kita |
Ma-HAL
|
Austronesian | Philippines, USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia |
| 🇫🇷 Français | Je t'aime |
Zhuh tem
Je (like 'zhuh' - soft 'j' sound)
|
Indo-European, Romance | France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland |
| 🇮🇪 Gaeilge | Tá grá agam duit |
Tah grah UG-um ditch
Tá (Tah)
|
Indo-European, Celtic, Goidelic | Ireland, Northern Ireland (UK) |
| 🇭🇷 Hrvatski | Jako te volim |
YAH-koh teh VOH-leem
Vo- (like 'vo' in 'vote')
|
South Slavic | Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro |
| 🇮🇹 Italiano | Ti amo |
Ti (tee)
|
Indo-European, Romance | Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City |
| 🇰🇪 Kiswahili | Ninakupenda sana |
Na (nah)
|
Bantu (Niger-Congo) | Tanzania, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda |
| 🇱🇹 Latviešu | Es tevi ļoti mīlu |
Ehs TEH-vee LYO-tee MEE-loo
Es (ehs - like 'es' in 'espresso')
|
Indo-European, Baltic | Latvia, Lithuania (small community), diaspora communities |
| 🇱🇹 Lietuvių | Aš tave myliu |
Aš (like 'ash' in English, stressed)
|
Indo-European, Baltic | Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, USA |
| 🇭🇺 Magyar | Szeretlek |
Sze- (like 'seh' in 'set')
|
Uralic, Finno-Ugric branch | Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia |
| 🇲🇹 Malti | Inħobbok |
In-HOBB-ok
In- (like 'in' in 'ink')
|
Semitic (Afro-Asiatic) | Malta, Canada, Australia, UK, USA |
| 🇳🇱 Nederlands | Ik hou van je |
Ik (ick, like 'pick' with a short 'i')
|
West Germanic | Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname |
| 🇳🇴 Norsk | Jeg elsker deg |
Jeg (yeg) - pronounce the 'j' like 'y' in 'yes'.
|
North Germanic | Norway, Svalbard, Jan Mayen |
| 🇺🇿 Oʻzbekcha | Men seni sevaman |
men seh-NEE seh-vah-mahn
Men (men) - like 'men' in English, stress on 'Men'
|
Turkic | Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan |
| 🇵🇱 Polski | Kocham cię |
Ko-cham (KOH-ham) - Stress on 'Ko'
|
Indo-European, West Slavic | Poland, Germany, UK, USA |
| 🇧🇷 Português | Eu te amo |
eh-oo chee AH-mo
Eu (EH-oo)
|
Indo-European, Romance | Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde |
| 🇷🇴 Română | Te iubesc |
Te (TAY, short 'e' sound)
|
Eastern Romance, Indo-European | Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine |
| 🇦🇱 Shqip | Të dua |
Të (tuh - short 'uh' sound, unstressed)
|
Indo-European, Albanian branch | Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro |
| 🇸🇰 Slovenčina | Milujem ťa |
Ľú-bim (stress on 'Ľú', pronounce 'lyoo' like 'million')
|
Indo-European, Slavic, West Slavic | Slovakia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Hungary |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenščina | Ljubim te |
Ljubim te
LJU-bim (stress on the first syllable, 'lju')
|
Indo-European, Slavic, South Slavic | Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Hungary |
| 🇫🇮 Suomi | Minä rakastan sinua |
Mi-nä (MEE-na)
|
Uralic, Finnic branch | Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia |
| 🇸🇪 Svenska | Jag älskar dig |
Jag EHL-shar dej
Jag (Yahg) - 'j' like 'y' in 'yes'
|
North Germanic | Sweden, Finland, Åland Islands |
| 🇻🇳 Tiếng Việt | Anh yêu em |
Anh (like 'ung' in 'sung', with a flat tone)
|
Austroasiatic, Mon-Khmer branch | Vietnam, USA, Cambodia, France |
| 🇹🇷 Türkçe | Seni çok seviyorum |
Se-ni (seh-nee)
|
Turkic (Oghuz branch) | Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Germany |
| 🇮🇸 Íslenska | Ég elska þig |
YEG EHL-ska THIHG
Ég (YEG - like 'yeah' but with a soft 'g' at the end)
|
North Germanic (West Nordic) | Iceland |
| 🇨🇿 Čeština | Miluji tě |
Miluji tě
MI-lu-yee (stress on MI, like 'mill-oo-yee')
|
Indo-European, West Slavic | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| 🇬🇷 Ελληνικά (Greek) | Σ'αγαπώ πολύ |
S'agapo poli
Σ'α (S'a - like 'sa' in 'sad')
|
Indo-European, Hellenic branch | Greece, Cyprus |
| 🇧🇾 Беларуская | Я цябе кахаю |
Ya tsyabe kakhayu
Я (Ya) - like 'ya' in 'yard'
|
East Slavic | Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, Russia |
| 🇧🇬 Български | Обичам те |
Obicham te
О-би-чам
|
South Slavic | Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey |
| 🇷🇺 Русский | Я тебя люблю |
Ya tebya lyublyu
Я те-БЯ лю-БЛЮ
|
East Slavic, Indo-European | Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan |
| 🇷🇸 Српски | Много те волим |
Mnogo te volim
ВО-лим (VOH-leem): Stress on the first syllable, 'o' as in '...
|
South Slavic | Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia |
| 🇺🇦 Українська | Я тебе люблю |
Ya tebe lyublyu
Я (Ya)
|
East Slavic | Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Canada |
| 🇰🇿 Қазақша | Мен сені сүйемін |
Men seni süýemin
Men SE-ni
|
Turkic | Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan, Russia |
| 🇦🇲 Հայերեն (Armenian) | Ես շատ եմ քեզ սիրում |
Yes shat em qez sirum
Ես (Yes): Pronounced like 'yes' in English, with stress on t...
|
Indo-European (separate branch) | Armenia, Russia, USA, France |
| 🇮🇱 עברית (Hebrew) | אני אוהב אותך |
Ani ohev otach
A-NI (stress on NI)
|
Semitic | Israel, United States, Germany, Canada |
| 🇵🇰 اردو (Urdu) | میں تم سے محبت کرتا ہوں |
Main tumse mohabbat karta hoon
Main (MAYN)
|
Indo-Aryan, Indo-European | Pakistan, India |
| 🇸🇦 العربية (Arabic) | أحبك |
Uhibbuka
أُ (U) - unstressed, like 'oo' in 'good'
|
Semitic | Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iraq |
| 🇮🇷 فارسی (Persian) | عاشقتم |
Aasheghetam
Doos (like 'dew' with an 's')
|
Indo-Iranian (Indo-European) | Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| 🇳🇵 नेपाली | म तिमीलाई माया गर्छु |
Ma timilai maya garchu
Ma (mah) - A single, clear syllable.
|
Indo-Aryan (Indo-European) | Nepal, India, Bhutan |
| 🇮🇳 मराठी (Marathi) | माझं तुझ्यावर प्रेम आहे |
Māzhaṃ tujhyāvar prem āhe
माझं (MAH-zhum): Emphasize 'MAH', with a soft, nasal 'zhum' ...
|
Indo-Aryan, Indo-European | India |
| 🇮🇳 हिन्दी (Hindi) | मैं आपसे प्यार करता हूँ/करती हूँ |
Main aapse pyaar karta hoon/karti hoon
Main (main, rhymes with 'mine' without the 'e' sound)
|
Indo-Aryan | India, Fiji, Nepal |
| 🇧🇩 বাংলা (Bengali) | আমি তোমাকে ভালোবাসি |
Ami tomake bhalobashi
Ah-mee (stress on 'Ah')
|
Indo-Aryan (Indo-European) | Bangladesh, India (West Bengal, Tripura, Assam) |
| 🇮🇳 தமிழ் (Tamil) | நான் உன்னை காதலிக்கிறேன் |
Naan unnai kadhalikiren
Naan (ந aan) - Stress on "Naan"
|
Dravidian | India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia |
| 🇮🇳 తెలుగు (Telugu) | నేను నిన్ను ప్రేమిస్తున్నాను |
Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
Ne-nu (నేను) - 'I' (stress on the first syllable)
|
Dravidian | India, United States, Malaysia, Singapore |
| 🇱🇰 සිංහල (Sinhala) | මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි |
Mama oyata adarei
Ma-ma (mah-mah) - Stress on the first 'Ma'.
|
Indo-Aryan | Sri Lanka |
| 🇹🇭 ไทย (Thai) | รักเธอ |
Rak ter
ฉัน (Chan): Pronounced with a high tone, similar to 'chan' i...
|
Tai-Kadai | Thailand |
| 🇬🇪 ქართული (Georgian) | მიყვარხარ |
Miq'varkhar
მი (mi) - first syllable, like 'me' in English
|
Kartvelian | Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Iran |
| 🇰🇭 ភាសាខ្មែរ (Khmer) | បងស្រឡាញ់អូន |
Bong sralanh oun
Khnhom (pronounced like "K'nyom", stress on the 'nyom' part)
|
Mon-Khmer (Austroasiatic) | Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam |
| 🇨🇳 中文 (Mandarin) | 我爱你 |
Wǒ ài nǐ
Wǒ (pronounced like 'waw' with a dipping, then rising tone)
|
Sino-Tibetan | China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia |
| 🇯🇵 日本語 (Japanese) | 愛してる |
Aishiteru
A-i (pronounced like 'eye')
|
Japonic | Japan |
| 🇰🇷 한국어 (Korean) | 사랑합니다 |
Saranghamnida
사 (sa) - like 'sa' in 'sad'
|
Koreanic | South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, USA |
Why the Same Three Words Are Not the Same Everywhere
English gives you one phrase for everything. You say "I love you" to a partner, a parent and a best friend, and the words do not change. Most languages do not work that way.
Spanish splits it in two. "Te quiero" is warm and everyday. "Te amo" is heavy, and saying it too early can land badly. Japanese barely says it out loud at all, and "aishiteru" is strong enough that many couples go years without using it. Arabic has a whole family of words for different stages of love. Getting this wrong is the most common mistake people make.
That is why each language has its own page here. The table gives you the phrase. The page tells you whether you should actually use it.
Languages by Family
Languages in the same family often build the phrase in a similar way, so if you learn one the next comes easier.
| Family | Languages here |
|---|---|
| Austronesian | Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Filipino |
| Indo-European, Romance | Español, Français, Italiano, Português |
| Semitic | עברית (Hebrew), العربية (Arabic) |
| Indo-Aryan | हिन्दी (Hindi), සිංහල (Sinhala) |
| Turkic | Azərbaycan, Oʻzbekcha, Қазақша |
| Dravidian | தமிழ் (Tamil), తెలుగు (Telugu) |
| Indo-Aryan, Indo-European | اردو (Urdu), मराठी (Marathi) |
| South Slavic | Hrvatski, Български, Српски |
| Indo-Aryan (Indo-European) | नेपाली, বাংলা (Bengali) |
| East Slavic | Беларуская, Українська |
Made-Up Languages People Still Ask About
These are not real languages, but they get asked about constantly, so here they are.
| Language | I love you | From |
|---|---|---|
| Elvish (Quenya) | Tye-melin | The Lord of the Rings |
| Elvish (Sindarin) | Gi melin | The Lord of the Rings |
| Klingon | qamuSHa' | Star Trek |
| Dothraki | Anha zhilak yera | Game of Thrones |
| High Valyrian | Avy jorraelan | Game of Thrones |
| Na'vi | Nga yawne lu oer | Avatar |
| Esperanto | Mi amas vin | Constructed language, 1887 |
| Minionese | Tulaliloo ti amo | Despicable Me |
Getting the Pronunciation Close Enough
You do not need a perfect accent. You need to be understood, and you need the person to hear that you tried. Three things get you most of the way there.
- Slow down. Most people rush the unfamiliar sounds and blur them together. Say each part on its own first.
- Copy the stress, not just the sounds. Putting the emphasis on the wrong part is what makes a phrase hard to understand.
- Say it out loud five times before you say it to them. It will feel less strange, and you will not stumble on the one word that matters.
Once you can say it, the next step is usually writing it down. Our AI love letter generator writes a full letter in the language you pick, and our love quotes collection is useful if you want to borrow better words. If you are sending it by text, the right emoji changes how it reads.
Frequently Asked Questions
58 languages, each with its own page covering pronunciation, the casual and serious versions, and when people actually say it.
Tonal languages like Mandarin and Vietnamese are hardest for English speakers, because the same syllable means different things depending on pitch. Getting the tone wrong changes the word, not just the accent.
No. "Te quiero" is warm and everyday and works for friends and family. "Te amo" is a serious romantic declaration. Using the wrong one is the most common mistake.
No. Being understood matters more than sounding native, and the effort itself is usually the point. Slow down and copy the stress pattern and you will be fine.
Many languages change the phrase depending on who you are speaking to, how formal you are being, and sometimes your gender or theirs. Each language page shows the variants side by side.
Pick the Language You Actually Need
A table is a good place to start and a bad place to stop. The phrase on its own will get you understood, but it will not tell you whether you are about to say something far heavier than you meant. Open the page for the language you care about, check the register, then say it.