好き

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
好
す Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
数奇 (rare) 数寄 (rare)

The 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 好(す)く (suku, “to like, to be fond of, to enjoy, to feel love for”).^[1]^[2]

First cited to the late 900s in the 宇津保物語 (Utsubo Monogatari).^[1]

Alternative forms

(slang) しゅき (shuki), すこ (suko)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) すき [sùkíꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2]^[3]^[1]
IPA^(key): [sɨ̥kʲi]

(Kyōto) すき [súꜜkì] (Kōki)^[1]

Adjective

好(す)き • (suki) -na (adnominal 好(す)きな (suki na), adverbial 好(す)きに (suki ni))

liked, likable
Antonym: 嫌い (kirai)

好(す)きな食(た)べ物(もの)は？　アイスクリームです。
Suki na tabemono wa? Aisu kurīmu desu.
What's your favorite food? - It's ice cream.

君(きみ)が好(す)きだからこそこれほど頑(がん)張(ば)っているんだよ。
Kimi ga suki da kara koso kore hodo ganbatte iru n da yo.
It's precisely because I like you [because of my fondness for you] that I'm working this hard.

好(す)きです。
Suki desu.
“I like you.” → idiomatically used to express: “I love you.”

どうとも好(す)きにしなさい。
Dō to mo suki ni shinasai.
Feel free to do as you like.

Usage notes

Used as an adjective to describe the thing that is liked. Note that this is different from English, where the term like is used as a verb describing the action of having a fondness or preference for something. The verb from which this term is derived, however, 好(す)く (suku), more closely resembles the verbal usage of like in English.

Inflection

Inflection of 好き
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	好きだろ	すきだろ	suki daro
Continuative (連用形)	好きで	すきで	suki de
Terminal (終止形)	好きだ	すきだ	suki da
Attributive (連体形)	好きな	すきな	suki na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	好きなら	すきなら	suki nara
Imperative (命令形)	好きであれ	すきであれ	suki de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	好きではない好きじゃない	すきではないすきじゃない	suki de wa nai suki ja nai
Informal past	好きだった	すきだった	suki datta
Informal negative past	好きではなかった好きじゃなかった	すきではなかったすきじゃなかった	suki de wa nakatta suki ja nakatta
Formal	好きです	すきです	suki desu
Formal negative	好きではありません好きじゃありません	すきではありませんすきじゃありません	suki de wa arimasen suki ja arimasen
Formal past	好きでした	すきでした	suki deshita
Formal negative past	好きではありませんでした好きじゃありませんでした	すきではありませんでしたすきじゃありませんでした	suki de wa arimasen deshita suki ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	好きで	すきで	suki de
Conditional	好きなら（ば）	すきなら（ば）	suki nara (ba)
Provisional	好きだったら	すきだったら	suki dattara
Volitional	好きだろう	すきだろう	suki darō
Adverbial	好きに	すきに	suki ni
Degree	好きさ	すきさ	sukisa

Noun

好(す)き • (suki)

fondness, favor, favour
好(す)きこそものの上(じょう)手(ず)なれ
Suki koso mono no jōzu nare
Your fondness helps improve your skill. → Who likes not his business, his business doesn't like him.

Derived terms

好(す)き好(ず)き (sukizuki): matter of taste
好(す)きになる (suki ni naru): to fall in love

Suffix

好(ず)き • (-zuki)

aficionado; enthusiast
ゲーム好(ず)きとして知(し)られている
gēmu-zuki toshite shirareteiru
known as a game enthusiast

Usage notes

Compounds formed with this suffix generally carry a heiban (unaccented) pitch accent, regardless of the pitch accent of the base noun.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
好
よ Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Adjective

好(よ)き • (yoki)

(Classical Japanese or literary) attributive of 好し

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “すき【好・数奇・数寄】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[NKD2O-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “すき【好・数奇・数寄】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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