echo by Chloe Kong
Otaku Corner: Love is in the air
By Chloe Kong
Konnichiwa minna (Hello everyone!) Welcome back to another session of Otaku Corner! It is February and many would look forward to this month. Why? Because this month is the month of love. Other than celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, where we share the love and bond between members of the family (Gong Xi Fa Cai!), there is also another event that many would look forward to and that is..Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day, a day where many would profess their love to the people they like. In anime, many series have emphasized on this very day itself. Hence, this very special day has turned into somewhat a battle field, especially for the girls. In general, the girls in Japan would give chocolate to their crushes and in return, the recipients would return the favour on White Day (14th of March).
In reference from a video by Rachel and Jun (Youtubers), Japanese use different words to express the different degree of affection. Here are several terms that are used to say how much one likes or love someone or something:
- 好き(Romanji: suki)
[Eng: Like]
In many situations, this term is used to express the basic degree of fondness towards someone or something. In many shoujo series, this term has also been commonly used in a confession.
Eg: a. 私は(名前)が好き。 I like (name).
私は犬が好き。I like dogs.
2. 大好き！(Romanji: Daisuki!)
[Eng: Really really like (something/someone)/ Love/ Like (something/someone) very much]
This term has been used in many situations by characters in anime to speak out how the characters really really like someone or something (a level higher compared to好き) . It is commonly used to show how much that person means to you (although not necessarily in a romantic way)
Eg: a. この靴大好き！I really love these shoes!
b. もう、雪―ちゃん大好き！I really like you!
(Though in this context, 大好きcould also be used among close peers to show their gratitude or affection towards someone. Also, 大好きmay not indicate that that individual means it in a romantic way)
- 愛してる (Romanji: Aishiteru)
[Eng: I love you]
As what we know, 愛してるmeans I love you. Literally, it means that. This term is purely used to express a higher level of affection towards a person (normally among lovers).
- 恋してる (Romanji: Koishiteru)
[Eng: I love you/ I’m in love with you]
On the other hand, 恋してる has a much much deeper meaning compared to愛してる. 恋してる can also be said as the highest level of affection in terms of expressing affection verbally through words.
That is all for this session of Otaku Corner, ja ne minna and happy holidays!
Links/ References
- Japanese don’t say I love you? どうして日本人は愛してると言わないの？https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azLpKvKBdHE
