2012-02-18, 06:59 | Link #2201 |
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Join Date: Dec 2011
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Age: 39
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Ai, Koi & Suki
I often heard girls confessing to guys saying "suki" or "daisuki" and subbers translate it as "I love you" though it also means "I like you"...
Which of these three has more impact or deeper meaning when said during a confession of love...? |
2012-02-18, 07:11 | Link #2202 |
Onani Master
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"Ai" is a word for love. Usually when you're talking about the emotion you'd refer to it as ai.
"Koi" is also another word for love and you hear it a lot referring to lovers. Eg. Koibito. "Suki" is like saying you like something/someone. I'd think of it along the lines of a crush. "Daisuki" is like saying you really like the subject matter. Eg, a big (dai) love (suki). Think of it as a big crush. The deepest way of saying you love someone in Japanese is 'aishiteru'.
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2012-02-18, 07:12 | Link #2203 |
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Dai Korai Teikoku
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Here's how I view things: Like = Suki < Daisuki < Love < Aishiteru
Frankly, "daisuki" is not a strong as the English "love". But saying "I like you very much" doesn't have as much of an emotional impact as "love". Basically, the range of emotions using English is unable to portray the extent of what "daisuki" means. |
2012-02-18, 16:04 | Link #2211 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
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yeah, "infatuation" is pretty shallow... "ai" is more of a "I worship you as a goddess/god and would die for you" sort of feeling. English really doesn't have a word for it (having condensed a half dozen different kinds of feelings into one word "love" over the centuries).
As Sumeragi notes... its just that Japanese are quite reserved about verbally expressing deep feelings. (If you've seen those seminars where men learn to tell their wives they like them by shouting it from 20 yards away... and the men are sweating fear, you start to get the idea)
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2012-02-18, 16:55 | Link #2213 | |
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Location: Dai Korai Teikoku
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Quote:
"Aishiteru" isn't a word to be used lightly. You know how saying "I love God" by a devoted is a truly religious and emotional thing? It's the same thing with "aishiteru". It's a deep, emotional, all-giving expression. |
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2012-02-18, 20:24 | Link #2217 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Land of the rising sun
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To the Aishiteru, Suki debate.
It really goes back more further than many think. Suki actually goes back to the Edo period to express the felling of fondness to the other sex within the expression "Suitemasu". Ai at that time had a physical erotic undertone to it so it was not often used and it stuck to this day. I believe the importation of Christianity had some part to it as well since the love(Agape) of Christ translating the word into ai(愛) in the Meji restoration era losing the physical erotic undertone but still too much for the commoners to use it in a casual case. |
2012-02-19, 04:14 | Link #2220 |
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Half Australia, Half Tokyo, Bits and pieces in US
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As a native Japanese speaker, I dont think "ai" is anything more than "love".
I have absolutely no intentions of worshipping someone like a goddess when I use the term "ai". However, people rarely use the term "aishiteru" in a relationship because it is to heavy a idea. Especially when the story line is between high school kids having crushed for each other, usually you only use "suki" and "daisuki", but makes more sense to translate it into English as "I love you" If you are a couple that is married or about to get married (in a way more mature and has more responsibilities) then you would use "ai". I actually thought this was very close to an episode in Sex and the City when Carrie says "I love you" to Mr. Big and she freaks out because its too heavy a phrase, and feel that he either has to say it back or they break up. Same with Lenard and Penny in Big Bang theory around Season 3. Therefore, if you are joking with your friends you can say "aishiteru" but if you mean it its really really heavy. |
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culture, discussion, japan, japanese culture |
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