I Love You in Chinese: How to Say 我爱你 (and When)

沉浸 TeamAugust 6, 20264 min read

I love you in Chinese is 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ): 我 (wǒ) means "I," 爱 (ài) means "to love," and 你 (nǐ) means "you." Three characters, subject-verb-object, exactly like English.

Saying it is the easy part. Knowing when to say it is where Chinese differs, so let's cover the phrase, the culture around it, and the sweet number code 520. This post is part of our essential Chinese phrases guide.

How to say I love you in Mandarin

我爱你 is pronounced wǒ ài nǐ. Two quick pronunciation tips:

我 (wǒ) and 你 (nǐ) are both third tones. Before another syllable, a third tone usually comes out low and flat instead of a full dip.
爱 (ài) is a falling fourth tone. Let it drop firmly, like you mean it.

To reply, add 也 (yě, "also"): 我也爱你 (wǒ yě ài nǐ), "I love you too."

The culture note: 爱 is a big word

In English, "love you!" gets tossed at friends, parents, and pizza. In Chinese, 我爱你 is heavier. Many couples date for a long time before saying it, and plenty of older family members show love through actions (cooking, nagging, paying for dinner) rather than saying the words out loud.

So the common first move in a confession isn't 我爱你 at all. It's 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuan nǐ), "I like you." That's the standard way to tell someone you have feelings for them, and it's what you'll hear in dramas when a character finally confesses.

One more essential: 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ), "I miss you." Between people who are dating or far apart, this one does a lot of emotional work.

Sweet names for the people you love

Once you're past the confession stage, Chinese has plenty of affectionate nicknames:

亲爱的 (qīn'ài de): dear, darling. Used between couples, and playfully between close female friends.
宝贝 (bǎobèi): baby, treasure. For partners and for small children.
老婆 (lǎopó): wifey. Technically "wife," but young couples use it long before any wedding.
老公 (lǎogōng): hubby. The matching term for a boyfriend or husband.

520: saying I love you with numbers

Type 520 to someone Chinese and you've just said "I love you." Spoken aloud, 5-2-0 is wǔ èr líng, which sounds close to wǒ ài nǐ. The resemblance is loose, but the internet ran with it years ago and never looked back.

It goes further:

520 (wǔ èr líng): I love you. May 20 (5/20) has become an unofficial internet Valentine's Day in China, with gifts, red envelopes, and a flood of couple posts.
5201314: "I love you for a lifetime." The 1314 (yī sān yī sì) sounds like 一生一世 (yīshēng yīshì), "one whole lifetime."

Number codes like these are a whole genre of Chinese internet slang; we cover more of them in our Chinese slang guide.

Which phrase should you use?

Confessing feelings for the first time: 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐhuan nǐ).
An established relationship: 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ).
Long distance, or just thinking of them: 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ).
Texting on May 20, or any day: 520.

Frequently asked questions

What does wo ai ni mean?

Wǒ ài nǐ (我爱你) means "I love you" in Mandarin Chinese. 我 is "I," 爱 is "love," and 你 is "you."

Why does 520 mean I love you in Chinese?

Spoken as digits, 520 is wǔ èr líng, which sounds similar to wǒ ài nǐ (I love you). Because of that, May 20 (5/20) is celebrated online as a second Valentine's Day in China.

What's the difference between 我爱你 and 我喜欢你?

我喜欢你 (I like you) is the standard romantic confession, the phrase for telling someone you have feelings for them. 我爱你 (I love you) is stronger and usually comes later, once the relationship is serious.

How do you respond to I love you in Chinese?

Say 我也爱你 (wǒ yě ài nǐ), "I love you too." 也 (yě) means "also" and always goes before the verb.

Worried your wǒ ài nǐ won't land with the right tones? Create a free Chenjin account to look up any word with audio, then let Tone Coach compare your pronunciation to a native speaker's, syllable by syllable.