Grammar Info
N5 Lesson 4: 9/13

好(す)き
Like, Fond of

Structure
Casual
Polite
Noun + + 好き +
Noun + + 好き + です
Details
Part of Speech Noun
Word Type Adjectival Noun
Register Standard
品詞 名詞
単語の種類 形容動詞
使用域 一般
Information
好(す)き, meaning ‘to like’, is one of the very common な-Adjectives in Japanese that is used in many different expressions. All な-Adjectives behave similarly to verbs, in that their form changes depending on what comes after them.
For 好(す)き, it will be followed by either , when acting as an adjective, , or the more polite です, when acting as a noun. This distinction is made depending on whether it is linked to another noun, or is independent.
  • 私(わたし)コンビニ好(す)き
    I like convenience stores. (They are likable, to me)
  • 彼(かれ)サーフィン好(す)きです
    He likes surfing. (It has likability, to him)
  • 私(わたし)好(す)きピザ食(た)べ
    I eat the pizza that I like. (The pizza that is likable, to me)
In the example with だ, 好(す)き is expressing that the thing is ‘likable’ (assertion). However, in the example with , 好(す)き is expressing ‘likability’ as a quality of the noun it is attached to.
Caution
好(す)き is considered quite a strong adjective in Japanese when it is directed towards people, so it may be interpreted as romantic interest. 大(だい)好(す)き is often translated as ‘love’.
  • 大(だい)好(す)き
    I love you!
Slow Male
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好(す)き
Do you like (it)?
[This can also be interpreted as 'do you like me?']
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うん好(す)き
Yeah, I like (it).
Play  
好(す)き人(ひと)がいます
Is there someone that you like?
Play  
Online
Books
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 134
みんなの日本語 I
Page 62 [CH 9]
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 426
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 39