～が好き【～がすき】

The structure ～が好きです is used to express liking or fondness for something or someone. It attaches to nouns or verbs (converted to a nominal form with の or こと) to indicate preference, hobbies, or what someone enjoys.

*です in this expression is the polite copula. It can be omitted in casual speech or conjugated (e.g. to the negative form).*

Attach の or こと after the plain form of verbs to express that you like an action.

To express that you like something a lot, use 大好き:

For stronger emotions, you can also use とても (very) or いちばん一番 (the most) to express emphasis:

Note: When used with people, it can imply romantic affection.

Conjugated forms

• Negative Form: To say you don’t like something, replace です with ではありません or じゃないです (or only じゃない in casual speech).

  さかな魚がすき好きではありません。

  I don’t like fish.

• Question Form: Use 好きですか？ (or 好き？ in casual speech) to ask if someone likes something.

  すぽうつスポーツがすき好きですかきごう？

  Do you like sports?