好き

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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

Pronunciation

Adjective

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

  1. liked, likable
    Antonym: 嫌い
    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 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) 

  1. 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

Suffix

好(ず)き • (-zuki) 

  1. 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

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

好(よ)き • (yoki) 

  1. (Classical Japanese or literary) attributive of 好し

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 “すき 【好・数奇・数寄】Paid subscription required”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  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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