Introduction
When talking with people in Japanese, you often want to say what you like.
For example, you might want to say you like sushi, music, or animals.
In Japanese, the expression 〜が好きです is used to say that you like something.
This is a very common and useful pattern for beginners.
Vocabulary
| Noun | ||
| すし（寿司） | sushi | sushi |
| トマト | tomato | tomato |
| いぬ（犬） | inu | dog |
| おんがく（音楽） | ongaku | music |
| えいが（映画） | eiga | movie |
| つま（妻） | tsuma | wife |
| おさけ（酒） | osake | alchole |
| ブロッコリー | burokkorī | broccoli |
| さかな（魚） | sakana | fish |
Meaning of 〜が好きです
The basic structure is:
Noun + が + 好きです
•Noun = the thing you like
•が = particle that marks the subject
•好きです = like
Since “好きです” is an adjective, the sentence literally means “~ is liked”, but it is translated as “I like ~.”
Example
•すし が 好き です。(I like sushi.)
Why Do We Use が?
In the sentence 〜が好きです, the particle が is used instead of は.
“は” is a topic marker, “が” is subject marker. This might be complicated for beginners to understand.
For beginners, it is enough to remember that 好きです usually uses the particle が.
Example:
•すし が 好きです。(I like sushi.)
Here, すし is the thing that is liked, so it is marked by が.
Sometimes you will also see:
•わたし は すし が 好きです。
In this sentence:
わたしは → the topic (I)
•すしが → the thing that is liked
So the sentence means “As for me, I like sushi.”
Often, the subject わたしは (I) is omitted because it is understood from the context.
Negative Form
To say “I don’t like ~”, use きらいです (dislike).
Structure: Noun + が + きらいです
Example:
•トマト が きらい です。(I don’t like tomatoes.)
Note: Be careful when using きらいです. Japanese people do not often use this word because it sounds strong. It’s good to say “好きじゃないです“（I don’t like) or “苦手です”(I’m not good at) instead.
・トマト が 好き じゃない です。(I don’t like tomatoes.)
・トマト が 苦手 です。(I’m not good at tomatoes.)
・トマト が きらい です。(I dislike tomatoes.)
Examples
•すし が 好き です。(I like sushi.)
(Sushi ga suki desu)
•いぬ が 好き です。(I like dogs.)
(Inu ga suki desu)
•おんがく が 好き です。(I like music.)
(Ongaku ga suki desu)
•わたし は えいが が 好き です。(I like movies.)
(Watashi wa eiga ga suki desu)
You can also talk about other people’s preferences.
・わたしの妻はお酒が苦手です。(my wife isn’t good with alcohol.)
(Watashi no tsuma wa osake ga nigate desu)
Common Mistake
Many beginners make this mistake:
❌ すし を 好きです。
This is incorrect because 好きです is not a verb.
It is actually an adjective (na-adjective) that describes a feeling.
Because of this, the particle が is used instead of を.
・が = subject marker
・を = object marker
Practice Section
Exercise 1: Translate to Japanese
1. I like sushi.
2. I like dogs.
3. I’m not good at fish.
Exercise 2: Translate to English
1. ねこ が 好き です。
2. さかな が 好き です。
3. ブロッコリーとトマトが苦手です。
Summary
• 〜が好きです means “I like ~”.
• Structure: Noun + が + 好きです
• The particle が marks what you like.
• The subject わたしは is often omitted.
• きらいです is used to say you dislike something.
•好きじゃないです or 苦手です are often used to say “I don’t like ~.”
Answers
Exercise 1
1. I like sushi. → すし が 好き です。
2. I like dogs. → いぬ が 好き です。
3. I’m not good at fish. → 魚が苦手です。
Exercise 2
1. ねこ が 好き です。 → I like cats.
2. さかな が 好き です。 → I like fish.
3. ブロッコリーとトマトが苦手です。 → I’m not good at broccoli and tomatoes.