Love word in many language

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Feelings and Emotions

Please find below many ways to say love in different languages. This is the translation of the word «love» to over 100 other languages.

Saying love in European Languages

Saying love in Asian Languages

Saying love in Middle-Eastern Languages

Saying love in African Languages

Saying love in Austronesian Languages

Saying love in Other Foreign Languages

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Saying Love in European Languages

Language Ways to say love
Albanian dashuri Edit
Basque maite Edit
Belarusian каханне Edit
Bosnian ljubav Edit
Bulgarian обичам Edit
Catalan amor Edit
Corsican amore Edit
Croatian ljubav Edit
Czech milovat Edit
Danish elsker Edit
Dutch liefde Edit
Estonian armastus Edit
Finnish rakkaus Edit
French amour Edit
Frisian leafde Edit
Galician amor Edit
German Liebe Edit
Greek αγάπη
[agápi]
Edit
Hungarian szerelem Edit
Icelandic Ást Edit
Irish grá Edit
Italian amore Edit
Latvian mīlestība Edit
Lithuanian meilė Edit
Luxembourgish Léift Edit
Macedonian љубов Edit
Maltese imħabba Edit
Norwegian kjærlighet Edit
Polish miłość Edit
Portuguese amor Edit
Romanian dragoste Edit
Russian любовь
[lyubov’]
Edit
Scots Gaelic ghaoil Edit
Serbian љубав
[ljubav]
Edit
Slovak milovať Edit
Slovenian ljubezen Edit
Spanish amor Edit
Swedish kärlek Edit
Tatar мәхәббәт Edit
Ukrainian любов
[lyubov]
Edit
Welsh cariad Edit
Yiddish ליבע Edit

Saying Love in Asian Languages

Language Ways to say love
Armenian Սեր Edit
Azerbaijani sevgi Edit
Bengali ভালবাসা Edit
Chinese Simplified
[ài]
Edit
Chinese Traditional
[ài]
Edit
Georgian მიყვარს Edit
Gujarati પ્રેમ Edit
Hindi मोहब्बत Edit
Hmong hlub Edit
Japanese Edit
Kannada ಪ್ರೀತಿ Edit
Kazakh махаббат Edit
Khmer ស្រឡាញ់ Edit
Korean 애정
[aejeong]
Edit
Kyrgyz сүйүү Edit
Lao ຮັກ Edit
Malayalam സ്നേഹം Edit
Marathi प्रेम Edit
Mongolian хайртай Edit
Myanmar (Burmese) ချစ်ခြင်းမေတ္တာ Edit
Nepali प्रेम Edit
Odia ପ୍ରେମ Edit
Pashto مينه Edit
Punjabi ਪਿਆਰ Edit
Sindhi پيار Edit
Sinhala ආදරය Edit
Tajik дӯст доштан Edit
Tamil அன்பு Edit
Telugu ప్రేమ Edit
Thai ความรัก Edit
Turkish Aşk Edit
Turkmen söýgi Edit
Urdu محبت Edit
Uyghur مۇھەببەت Edit
Uzbek sevgi Edit
Vietnamese yêu Edit

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Saying Love in Middle-Eastern Languages

Language Ways to say love
Arabic حب
[hubun]
Edit
Hebrew אהבה Edit
Kurdish (Kurmanji) evîn Edit
Persian عشق Edit

Saying Love in African Languages

Language Ways to say love
Afrikaans lief Edit
Amharic ፍቅር Edit
Chichewa ndimakukondani Edit
Hausa son Edit
Igbo n’anya Edit
Kinyarwanda urukundo Edit
Sesotho rata Edit
Shona rudo Edit
Somali jeclahay Edit
Swahili upendo Edit
Xhosa uthando Edit
Yoruba ni ife Edit
Zulu uthando Edit

Saying Love in Austronesian Languages

Language Ways to say love
Cebuano nahigugma Edit
Filipino pag-ibig Edit
Hawaiian aloha Edit
Indonesian cinta Edit
Javanese tresna Edit
Malagasy fitiavana Edit
Malay suka Edit
Maori aroha Edit
Samoan alofa Edit
Sundanese bogoh Edit

Saying Love in Other Foreign Languages

Language Ways to say love
Esperanto love Edit
Haitian Creole renmen Edit
Latin diligitis Edit

Dictionary Entries near love

  • louse
  • lout
  • lovable
  • love
  • love at first sight
  • love relationship
  • love story

Cite this Entry

«Love in Different Languages.» In Different Languages, https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/love. Accessed 13 Apr 2023.

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Last updated:

September 9, 2022

The language of love is deep, complex and beautiful.

… But so is actually learning a language!

And there might be nothing better than infusing your learning with an extra dose of love and romance (and no, we don’t just mean Romance languages).

With the valuable love vocabulary below, we’ll equip you with the word for “love” in 20 different languages, complete with pronunciation guides.

And to give you something a little extra, we’re also sharing lovingly poetic resources for the most romantic Valentine’s Day, anniversary or other romantic celebration.

Contents

  • 1. Arabic: حب (habb)
  • 2. Bengali: ভালবাসা (bhalobasha)
  • 3. Chinese: 爱 (ài)
  • 4. Filipino: Pag-ibig
  • 5. French: Amour
  • 6. German: Liebe
  • 7. Greek: Αγάπη (agapi)
  • 8. Hindi — मोहब्बत (mohabbat)
  • 9. Indonesian: Cinta
  • 10. Italian: Amore
  • 11. Japanese: 愛 (ai)
  • 12. Korean: 애정 (aejeong)
  • 13. Persian: عشق (ishq)
  • 14. Portuguese: Amor
  • 15. Punjabi: ਪਿਆਰ (pyaar)
  • 16. Russian: любовь (lyubov’)
  • 17. Spanish: Amor
  • 18. Swedish: Kärlek
  • 19. Thai: ความรัก (kwaam-rak)
  • 20. Turkish: Aşk
  • Why Learn “Love” in Different Languages?
  • How to Use Your “Love” Language Skills


Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. Arabic: حب (habb)

Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts (Three Continents Press)

The Arabic noun for “love” is حب. The pronunciation can vary between speakers.

For a little extra Arabic love, check out “Arabian Love Poems,” which features Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani’s poems in English and Arabic.

2. Bengali: ভালবাসা (bhalobasha)

The Bengali noun for “love” is ভালবাসা. It sounds like “bha-LO-bashah.” However, the initial “b” sound is very soft.

3. Chinese: 爱 (ài)

Chinese Love Poetry

Despite the language’s reputation for being challenging, this might be one of the easiest to pronounce “love” words you’ll find! The Chinese noun, 爱, sounds much like the common pirate word, “aye.” Or, I mean, I guess you could compare it to the English word “eye.”

But that might be too simple for the Chinese lover, so you might also want to use “Chinese Love Poetry” for some additional romantic options. This beautiful book features art, calligraphy and poetry along with English translations.

It’s worth noting that China actually has its own Valentine’s Day, which you can learn about here while also picking up some romance-based vocab.

4. Filipino: Pag-ibig

Pag-ibig is the Filipino/Tagalog word for “love.” It’s pronounced like “pah-GEE-big.”

5. French: Amour

Last Love Poems of Paul Eluard (English and French Edition)

Amour is the well-known French noun for “love.” It’s pronounced like “ahm-OOR,” although it will sound much better if you can say it with a throaty “r” while handing your beloved a box of macarons.

To take it to the next level, you might also read excerpts from “Last Love Poems of Paul Eluard,” which shares poems by the noted French poet along with their English translations.

Learn some flirty French phrases here.

6. German: Liebe

Treasury of German Love: Poems, Quotations & Proverbs : In German and English (Treasury of Love) (English, German and German Edition)

Liebe is the German noun that means “love.” It’s pronounced like “LEE-buh.”

While the German language may not be widely associated with romance, it can still be a tremendously romantic language. Don’t believe us? Just read “Treasury of German Love: Poems, Quotations & Proverbs,” which features romantic works along with their English translations.

Check out these romantic German phrases.

7. Greek: Αγάπη (agapi)

Αγάπη is the Greek noun for “love.” It’s pronounced like “ah-GAH-pee.”

8. Hindi — मोहब्बत (mohabbat)

The Hindi noun for “love” is मोहब्बत. Pronunciations can vary according to accent.

9. Indonesian: Cinta

Cinta is the Indonesian noun and verb for “love.” It’s pronounced like “CHEEN-tah.” However, it’s important to note that the “c” sounds like a cross between “ch” and “j” and the “t” sounds a lot like “d.”

10. Italian: Amore

Love Poems for Lucrezia Bendidio (Italica Press Dual-Language Poetry Series)

“When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.”

And yes, amore is the Italian noun for “love,” and it’s pronounced just like you’ve heard it in the song: “ah-MOH-ray.” But try to soften or flip the “r” a little.

And the Italian language has no shortage of love poetry. For instance, “Love Poems for Lucrezia Bendidio” is a dual-language (Italian and English) text that features love poems written by a then-teenaged Torquato Tasso. And yes, they all are about the same woman. It’s hard to beat that level of romance.

Pick up some romantic Italian phrases and learn more about dating culture in the boot here.

11. Japanese: 愛 (ai)

The Japanese noun for “love” is 愛, and if you’ve been paying attention, that might look familiar. That’s because it’s the same character used in Chinese, and the pronunciation is similar. It’s pronounced like “aye” or “eye.”

If you’re keen on confessing your love in Japanese, you’ll definitely want to learn these romantic phrases.

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12. Korean: 애정 (aejeong)

The Korean noun for “love” is 애정, though this can also mean “affection.” The pronunciation is close to “EH-jung.”

Here’s a terrific website with Korean love poems that you can use to find some romantic material.

Studying Korean dramas is never a bad way to acquire the love language, either.

13. Persian: عشق (ishq)

The Persian noun for “love” is عشق, which can sound like “EH-shk” or simply “EH-sh.”

14. Portuguese: Amor

Amor is the Portuguese noun for “love.” The pronunciation is “ahm-OOR,” much like the French word amour.

Want to keep the Portuguese love going? All Poetry offers several poems by Brazilian poet Vinicius de Moraes, many of which feature translations.

15. Punjabi: ਪਿਆਰ (pyaar)

The Punjabi word for “love” is ਪਿਆਰ. The pronunciation can sound like “pee-AHR.”

16. Russian: любовь (lyubov’)

Treasury of Russian Love: Poems, Quotations and Proverbs in Russian and English (English, Russian and Russian Edition)

любовь is the Russian noun for “love,” which is pronounced approximately like “loo-BOHV.”

For a little Russian poetry, you might read “Treasury of Russian Love: Poems, Quotations and Proverbs in Russian and English,” which includes both Russian poems and their English translations.

Here are some romantic phrases for surviving those cold Russian winters.

17. Spanish: Amor

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Spanish and English Edition)

Amor, the Spanish word for “love,” may look a lot like the French, Portuguese and Russian versions of the word, but its pronunciation is a bit different, perhaps closer to something like “ah-MOHR.”

And Spanish has no shortage of great romantic poetry. “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair” will provide you with some wonderful works by acclaimed Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Need some help putting together those Valentine’s cards in Spanish? Here’s a special guide for you.

18. Swedish: Kärlek

Kärlek is the Swedish noun for “love.” Go ahead and use it to describe your relationship with IKEA, but be sure to get the pronunciation right. Kärlek sounds sort of like “shar-LYEHK.”

19. Thai: ความรัก (kwaam-rak)

The Thai noun for “love” is ความรัก. It sounds like “kwahm rahk,” though the “k” sounds are quite soft, almost like an “h.”

20. Turkish: Aşk

Aşk is the Turkish noun for “love,” and it’s pretty easy to pronounce. It sounds like “ahshk.”

Why Learn “Love” in Different Languages?

You never know when you’ll need to profess your feelings. When you feel love, you may just want to shout it out, so it won’t hurt to know how to say “I love you” or express your love in other languages.

Plus, learning “love” and related vocabulary is a fun and happy activity. You can never learn enough foreign language vocabulary, and upbeat vocabulary words like “love” make learning even more fun.

You can put a romantic twist on special occasions like Valentine’s Day. Foreign languages are often associated with romance, so learning “love” in other languages can infuse your holiday with something a little special.

How to Use Your “Love” Language Skills

Say “love” words to that special someone. Learn how to pronounce “love” in a number of different languages. Then, you can speak your amorous words to your beloved.

DIY a Valentine’s Card. Whether you just copy and paste words or poems and print them off for that special someone, or dust off your fine penmanship to handcraft a card, foreign language words and poems can be terrific material for your perfect Valentine card.

Share your vocabulary with family. You love your family, too, so don’t hesitate to throw out some of your most loving words for them. They deserve it!

Use your “love” language as a great gift for the language learner in your life. If you’re the artistic type, you can create artwork using “love” related vocabulary. However, even if you don’t have art skills, you can give the language learner in your life a terrific gift by giving them a book of love poems in their target language. Not only will this show your love, but it will also show you’ve truly paid attention to their interests.

FluentU New iOS App Icon

You could also further impress them by committing a bit more to the language (but your beloved is your very first commitment, of course).

You can use FluentU to see how romantic phrases are used by native speakers. This program uses authentic content like movie clips, music clips and more to teach you practical use of the language. Each clip comes with interactive captions that teach vocabulary in context, so you can learn to accurately use both romantic phrases and essential, everyday ones. Personalized quizzes and multimedia flashcards are also offered to help you remember the material so you can profess your love with confidence.

You don’t have to jet your beloved to Paris to have a romantic Valentine’s Day. With these words and poetic resources, love is sure to be in the air.


Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Love in different Languages

LOVE: An intense feeling of affection and care towards another person. There is no shortage of ways to express your love to the special people in your life. You could even go the extra mile and learn a couple words from other languages. Here’s your ultimate guide on how to say love in different languages around the world, that is over 130 ways in the most spoken languages of the world.

Continue reading to discover the complete list of the word for love in every language.

If you’re looking for how to say I LOVE YOU instead…

–> Read this guide on how to say
I love you in different languages.

You can learn a whole lot about a region and its people from the traditions, cultures, languages, and the way the locals express themselves. We are more interconnected than ever before, and throughout time, one thing that remains is our attraction to love and the manner of professing these emotions of endearment, care, fondness, and affection.

One of the best things and an advantage of traveling is picking up a little bit of the local language and it’s always a good idea to know a few words in the language of the country you’re exploring.

If you’re looking for how to say MY LOVE instead…

–> Read this guide on how to say:
My love in different languages.

So whether you find yourself in Africa, Europe, Asia, or America, I’ve got you covered, fellow traveller. Be sure to bookmark and save this post for future use and ease of reference.

Bottom line, if you love someone, let them know. Don’t keep people guessing on how you feel.

Each language uses different words to express love, however the feeling is usually the same. Love, (l’)amour, liebe, ài, pyar! Let’s get into it…. ↓↓

Click here to also learn how to say:
HELLO and GOODBYE in all languages around the world.

How to say Love in different languages

Other Creative Ways to Say Love

In addition to saying the word love in other languages, here are a couple other ways you could express to someone how you feel:

  • I’m crazy about you
  • You’re my partner in crime
  • You are a dream come true
  • You take my breath away
  • I can’t stop thinking about you
  • I wish I could see you everyday
  • You are so special to me
  • You look beautiful
  • I smile a lot more when you’re around
  • I think about you all the time
  • I wish you were here

Want to learn how to say THANK YOU too? 
Read this guide on thank you in different languages.

LOVE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

Here’s your guide on 100+ ways to say LOVE in different languages of the world.

With pronunciation. In brackets you will find how to pronounce the word as it can often be difficult to know how to vocalise the word just by reading or looking at the direct translation.

Are you ready to take a trip around the world and learn how to convey love in a different language?

I have included love in every language I could think of. If you don’t spot your language, let me know (in the comments) and I will be happy to add it to this list.

Scroll to the bottom for a little bonus! ↓↓

If you’re looking for how to say LOVER instead…

–> Read this guide on how to say:
lover in different languages

Want to learn how to say GOOD MORNING and GOOD NIGHT too? 
Read this guide to say good morning and good night is other languages.

Love in other languages

Speaking of love, describe your great love with these:
50 words about travel and 100 smile love quotes

How do I say LOVE in another language? Every language of love in the world here ↓

Let’s get into it…

Here’s how you say “love” in:

Afrikaans

  • liefde
    — is the Afrikaans word for love

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language of Southern Africa mostly derived from Dutch. It developed as Dutch settlers and indigenous African mixed languages beginning in the 17th century. Today, an estimated 15 to 23 million people call Afrikaans their mother tongue. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia and can also be heard in parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Albanian

  • dashuri
    — is the Albanian word for love

Albanian is an Indo-European language, spoken mainly in Albania and Kosovo, though it is also spoken in other areas of the Balkans. With about 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other language in Europe.

Amharic

  • ፍቅር (fik’iri)
    — is the Amharic word for love

Amharic is a Semitic language and the official language of Ethiopia. It can also be heard in Egypt and Eritrea, as well as in Israel, Sweden, Canada and the United States.

Arabic

  • حب (Habb)
    — This is the general word for love in Arabic and also the the root of the Arabic terms of endearment habib (for men) and habibi (for women). It can be used to describe romantic love, or love for family, things or activities.
  • عشق (‘Ishq)
    — this word is used to describe the feeling you have when the beginning stage of love gets deeper. When in the honeymoon phase of love and are feeling a passionate love for someone, ’ishq is the word to use.
  • شغف (Shaghaf)
    — This word is used to describe the feeling of being crazy deep in love with someone. It is reserved for an intense love or lust.
  • حنان (Hanaan)
    — has several meanings, including compassion, care, and tenderness.

Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language spoken by over 420 million people as their first language in areas including North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and other parts of the Middle East. Many more people can also understand it as a second language. Modern Standard Arabic is the liturgical language for 1.6 billion Muslims and is the official written form of the language with the Arabic alphabet, which is written from right to left.

Armenian

  • սեր
    — love in Armenian, pronounced (ser)

Armenian is an Indo-European language spoken in the Republic of Armenia, as well as in large communities of Armenian diaspora by around 6.7 million people.

Azerbaijani

  • Sevgi
    — means love in Azerbaijani

Azerbaijani or Azeri is the primary and official language of Azerbaijan by its 8.8 million native speakers. It is also widely spoken in Northern Iran and to a small extent in southern Dagestan, the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, eastern Turkey, in Shia cities of Iraq, like Karbala and Kirkuk. The language is a Turkic language and is highly intelligible with modern-day Turkish.

Basque

  • maitasun
     is the Basque word that translates as love

Basque (euskara) is a language spoken in the Basque Country (Gipuzkoa, Araba, Bizkaia) and Navarra (in Spain) as well as in the French Basque Country (Labourd, Soule and Basse-Navarre). Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate and is unrelated to the other languages of Europe.

Bavarian / Austrian German

  • to say love in Bavarian use:
    liebe

Bavarian is a regional dialect of German spoken in the German state of Bavaria, western Austria, and Northeastern Italy by over 14 million people. It uses German grammar, but takes several root words from Latin.

Belarusian

  • Каханне
    — pronounced kachannie is the Belarusina word for love

Belarusian is the official language of Belarus. This East Slavic language is also spoken in Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

Bengali

  • The Bengali noun for love is ভালবাসা.
    — it’s pronounced as (bha-LO-bashah) with the first “b” having a very soft sound.

Bengali বাংলা is the only official language of Bangladesh, one of the 22 official languages of India, and the sixth most spoken language in the world. It is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population in Bangladesh, as well as people in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Bhojpuri

  • pyaar

Bhojpuri is an Indo-Aryan language, considered to be one of the most rapidly growing languages in the world, spoken in northern-eastern India and the Terai region of Nepal.

Bodo

  • अननाइ Mwjang mwnnai

Bodo बर’/बड़ is the Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily by the Bodo people of Northeast India, Nepal and Bengal. It is official language of the Bodoland Autonomous region and co-official language of the state of Assam in India.

Bosnian

  • ljubav
    — is the Bosnian word for love

Bosnian, a south Slavic language of the Indo-European family, is the official language of Bosnia and is essentially the same language as Croatian and Serbian. All three languages used to be known as Serbo-Croatian before the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Brazilian Portuguese

  • amar
    —is the word for love in Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil) is the variety of Portuguese dialect spoken in Brazil. It is spoken by virtually all of the 200 million inhabitants of Brazil and spoken widely across the Brazilian diaspora. European Portuguese differs from the Brazilian variety in pronunciation, as well as in some vocabulary.

Breton

  • Karantez
    — is the word for love in Breton

Breton is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language spoken in Brittany in the northwest of France.

Bulgarian

  • Любов
    pronounced (lyubov) is the Bulgarian word for love

Bulgarian is a South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the country’s only official language and Bulgarian is written with Cyrillic.

Burmese

  • Love in Burmese is hkyithkyinnmayttar

Burmese is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar where it is an official language and the language of the Bamar people, the country’s principal ethnic group.

Cambodian Khmer

  • ស្នេហា (sne hea)
    — means love in Khmer

Khmer is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. With over 16 million speakers, it is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language.

Catalan

  • amor
    — is the word for love in Catalan

Catalan is a Western Romance language derived from Vulgar Latin and named after the medieval Principality of Catalonia, in northeastern of modern Spain. It is the only official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia.

Cebuano

  • Love: gugma

Cebuano, also known as Bisaya or Binisaya, is an Austronesian language spoken in the southern Philippines region in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and the majority of Mindanao.

Chamorro

  • guiaya

Chamorro is an Austronesian language, the native and spoken language of the Chamorro people, who are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands.

Cheyenne

  • méhóhtá
    — this is the Cheyenne for love

Cheyenne is the Native American language spoken by the Cheyenne people of the United States. It is part of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne are a Native American tribe that live in the Great Plains of Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.

Chichewa

  • chikondi

Chichewa, also known as Nyanja, is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa. It is the national language of Malawi and is also spoken in Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Chinese Cantonese

How to say love in Chinese Cantonese:

  • 爱 ài
    — the Chinese word for love
    pronounced (eye)

    You will often hear “錫” (kiss) used in place of love, as a form of euphemism instead.

Cantonese is a variety of Chinese originating from the city of Guangzhou and its surrounding area in Southeastern China. Belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages, it is the traditional prestige variety of the Yue Chinese dialect group, which has about 68 million native speakers.

Chinese Mandarin

How do you say love in Chinese Mandarin:

  • 爱 (ài)
    — the Chinese word for love
    pronounced (eye)

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the official languages of Singapore. Mandarin is often placed first in lists of languages by number of native speakers with almost a billion speakers.

Corsican

  • Love in Corsican: Amore

Corsican is a Romance language from the Italo-Dalmatian family that is spoken predominantly on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Corsican is closely related to Tuscan and to the Florentine-based Italian.

Other language Love different languages

Croatian

  • ljubav
    — is the Croatian word for love

Croatian or Hrvatski is a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, some parts of Serbia, and the neighbouring countries by about 5.5 million people.

Czech

  • láska or milovat
    — Love in Czech

Czech is a Western Slavic language which is mutually intelligible with Slovak. It is mainly spoken in the Czech Republic with over 10,5 million speakers.

Danish

  • kærlighed or elsker
    — is the word for love in Danish

Danish is a Scandinavian language and the only official language of the Kingdom of Denmark. Closely related to Swedish and Norwegian, it is spoken in Denmark and in some parts of Greenland and northern Germany.

Dogri

  • pyar

Dogri is a Northern Indo-Aryan language spoken by around five million people in India, mainly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dutch

  • liefde
    — the Dutch word meaning love

Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by about 27 million people world-wide mostly in the Netherlands and northern Belgium.

Dzongkha

  • nga gi che lu ga

Dzonkha or Bhutanese is the sole official and national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. This Sino-Tibetan language is spoken by over half a million people in Bhutan and is written with the Tibetan alphabet.

English

  • Love

Ten other words for love in English:

  1. affection
  2. fondness
  3. passion
  4. devotion
  5. intoxicated
  6. sweetheart
  7. attachment
  8. tenderness
  9. intimacy
  10. adoration

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in Anglo-Saxon England in the early Middle Ages. It is spoken in many countries around the world with over 375 million native speakers. English is the second most spoken language, and the most international language in the world.

Estonian

  • armastus
    — is the Estonian word for love

Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language spoken as the official language in Estonia. It is closely related to Finnish.

Faroese

  • elska or kærleiki
    — is the word for love in Faroese

Faroese is a North Germanic language spoken as a first language by Faroe Islanders, residing on the Faroe Islands and in other areas, mainly Denmark.

Farsi / Persian

  • عشق (eshgh)
    — the Persian word meaning love
    pronounced (EH-shk) or simply (EH-sh)

Persian is an ancient language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. It is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

Fijian

  • loloma
    — this is the Fijian word for non-romantic love, such as the love between family members
  • dodomo
    — romantic love, used to describe love in a romantic setting

Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family. It is an official language of Fiji spoken by some 350,000–450,000 ethnic Fijians as a native language.

Finnish

  • Rakkaus
    — is the Finnish word for love

Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language spoken only in Finland as the official language and by ethnic Finns elsewhere in Scandinavia.

Flemish

  • lief
    is the Flemish word for love

Flemish is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language, native to the historical region of Flanders in northern Belgium. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch, Belgian Dutch, or Southern Dutch spoken by over 6 million people.

French

  • (l’)amour
    is the French word for love
    it’s pronounced like (ahm-OOR)

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family spoken by over 354 million people in France and around the world. It is the third most spoken language in Europe, the official language of 29 countries, spoken in parts of Africa, North America, and South America. Take your love to one of these beautiful Eiffel Tower view Hotels in Paris.

Frisian

  • Leafde

The Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about 500,000 Frisian people, who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.

Georgian

  • სიყვარული siq’varuli

Georgian is the official language of Georgia and the country’s most widely spoken language with over 4.1 million people.

German

  • (die) Liebe
    — the German noun that translates to love
    It’s pronounced like (LEE-buh)

German Deutsch is the official language of both Germany and Austria and one of the three official languages of Switzerland. German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family. One of the major languages of the world, German is a native language to almost 100 million people worldwide and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union.

Greek

There are three main words in Greek for love:

  • Έρωτας (Erotas) 
    — this refers only to romantic love or dating. Known as Έρως (Eros) in Ancient Greek, it is the root of the English word erotic
  • Aγάπη (Agape)
    — the Greek noun for love, pronounced as (ah-GAH-pee). In modern Greek, it’s used to express love for family or a romantic partner. In Ancient Greek, this word described a spiritual or charitable love, for example the love that God has for man.
  • Φιλία (Philia)
    not used as often today as it was in Ancient Greek, this is the general word for non-romantic love between equals, such as between friends and family, or the love for activities.

Greek (ελληνικά) belongs to the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Greece and Cyprus an an official language. It has the longest documented history of any living Indo-European language, spanning more than 3000 years of written records. There are about 13.1 million speakers of Greek worldwide and it is recognised as a minority language in Albania, Armenia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.

Gujarati

  • પ્રેમ (Prēma)
    — is the Gujarati word for love

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is part of the greater Indo-European language family.

Haitian Creole

Say love in Creole:

  • Lamou

Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen)) is a French-based creole language spoken by 10–12 million people worldwide and the only language of most Haitians. Along with French it is one of the official languages of Haiti.

Hausa

  • soyayya
  • k’auna

Hausa language, the most important indigenous bridge language in West and Central Africa, spoken as a first or second language by about 40–50 million people. It belongs to the Western branch of the Chadic language family within the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. It is spoken mainly in northern Nigeria and Niger, and also in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Germany, Ghana, Sudan and Togo.

Hawaiian

How to say love in Hawaiian:

  • Aloha

The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaiʻi, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the State of Hawaii.

Hebrew

  • אהבה
    — is the Hebrew word for love

Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language spoken by over nine million people worldwide. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors. It is written using its own script from right to left.

Hindi

  • प्यार pyar or मोहब्बत mohabbat
    — are the Hindi words for love

Hindi (हिन्दी) is an Indo-European language spoken in India, Nepal, and throughout the Indian diaspora. Hindi is descended from Sanskrit, sometimes called “the mother of all languages.” While there are 22 official languages and over 1,000 dialects of India, Hindi and English take precedence in government affairs. It is a link-language for over half of India’s population.

Hmong

  • hlub

Hmong is a Hmong-Mien language spoken by about 2.6 million people in China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, USA, and French Guiana.

Hopi

  • Nu’ umi unangwa’ta

Hopi is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Hopi people in northeastern Arizona, USA.

Hungarian

  • szerelem
    — this is the word for love in Hungarian

Hungarian is a Uralic language of the Ugric branch spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union.

How to say love in different languages

Icelandic

  • ást
    — is the Icelandic word for love

Icelandic (íslenska) is a North Germanic language spoken in Iceland as its official language. It’s most closely related to Faroese and Western Norwegian and has around 314,000 speakers. The language is more conservative than most other Western European languages.

Igbo

  • Ihunanya

Igbo is the principal native language of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria with around 45 million speakers and over 20 dialects.

Indonesian Bahasa

  • cinta
    — the Indonesian noun and verb for love, pronounced like (CHEEN-tah)

Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia.With over 230 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is a group of varieties of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as the common language in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia uses the Latin alphabet system and Arabic numerals.

Inuktitut

  • ᑕᑯᑦᓱᒍᓱᑉᐳᖅ
    is the word for love in Inuktitut

Inuktitut is an Eskimo-Aleut language spoken in Arctic territories and the topmost span of North America including Alaska and Northern Canada.

Irish

Here are a few of the numerous Irish words meaning love:

  • Grá
    — this is the all-purpose word for love in Irish that can be used in generally the same way as the English word. It can be used to express love for things, people, places, etc
  • Cion
    — used as a form of affection”, such as the love for a child.
  • Searc
    — used for describing romantic love
  • Cumann
    — used to highlight the love and companionship that exists between friends.

Irish (Gaeilge) is one of the three Goidelic languages, along with Scottish Gaelic and Manx. This Goidelic branch together with the Brythonic branch (Welsh, Cornish and Breton) form the Celtic language family.

Italian

How to say love in Italian:

  • Amore
    is the Italian noun for love, and it’s pronounced as (ah-MOH-ray)

Italian (Italiano) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family spoken by over 90 million people, the vast majority of which are in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. It is the official language of Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican City.

Did you know:
Valentine’s Day also known as La Festa di San Valentino originates in Italy

Japanese

There are two main words for expressing love in Japanese, but the usages of each are highly dependent on a variety of cultural factors. Note that love is a very strong word and expressions of love are not very common in the culture of Japan.

  • 愛 (Ai)
    — can be used to refer to several types of love that including family, friendships, and love of things or activities.
    It’s pronounced like “aye” or “eye.”
  • 恋 (Koi)
    — this word usually relates to a physical or romantic love.

Japanese (日本語 Nihongo) is an East Asian language of the Japonic language family. It is spoken by about 125 million people, mostly in Japan, where it is the official and national language.

Jamaican

  • luv
  • Boonoonoonoos
    — is a Jamaican saying to express love, meaning “special person”

Jamaican Patois, often also referred to as Jamaican Creole, is an English-based creole language with West African influences spoken mainly in Jamaica. Belonging to the English Creole language family, it is spoken by the the majority of Jamaicans with over 3 million native speakers.

Javanese

  • tresna
    — is the word for love in Javanese

Javanese is the language of the Javanese people of the island of Java, in Indonesia that is the native language of more than 98 million people.

Kannada

  • ಪ್ರೀತಿ Prīti
    — is the Kannada word for love

Kannada, spoken by nearly 45 million native speakers, is a Dravidian language of the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, and by significant linguistic minorities in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and abroad.

Kazakh

  • Махаббат (maxabbat)

Kazakh is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia and the official language of Kazakhstan. The language comprises 21 million native speakers including regions of Bayan-Ulgii in Mongolia and the Dzungarian region of Xinjiang, China.

Korean

Love in Korean:

  • 사랑 (sa rang)

Korean, an East Asian language, is the official language of South Korea (Republic of Korea) and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) spoken by more than 75 million people.

Kurdish

  • evîn

Kurdish is spoken by about 30 million Kurds in western Asia including parts of Kurdistan, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria. It is one of the Indo-Iranian languages, ranks as the third largest Iranian language, after Persian and Pashto.

Kyrgyz

  • Сүйүү (süyüü)

Kyrgyz is a member of the Kipchak branch of the Turkic language family spoken by over 4 million speakers mainly in Kyrgyzstan, and also in China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Lao

  • hak ຮັກ

Lao is the main language of Laos. It is a Kra–Dai language serving as a common language among all citizens of Laos, who speak approximately 90 other languages, many of which are unrelated to Lao. Modern Lao is heavily influenced by the Thai language and comprises over 30 million native speakers.

Latin

  • Amor
    — is the Latin word for love

Latin was the dominant language of the Roman Empire from 6th century BC to 600 AD. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Latin evolved into the various languages that we know today. Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian all consider Latin as their parent tongue. Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages.

Latvian

  • mīlestība
    — translates as love in Latvian

Latvian (latviešu valoda) is an Indo-European Eastern Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is the official language of Latvia and one of the official languages of the European Union.

Lebanese

  • حب (hubb)
    — is the Lebanese word for love

Lebanese is a variety of North Levantine Arabic, indigenous to and spoken primarily in Lebanon. With significant linguistic influences borrowed from other Middle Eastern and European languages it is spoken by over 5,7 million native speakers.

love in a different language

Limburgish

  • Ik hald van dich

Limburgish is a member of the East Low Franconian group of the Germanic languages considered a variety of German or Dutch by many people. It is spoken by around 1.6 million people in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Lingala

  • Bolingo

Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo by over 70 million people.

Lithuanian

  • Meilė
    — is the word for love in Lithuanian

Lithuanian (lietuvių kalba) is an Eastern Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region as the official language of Lithuania. It is also one of the official languages of the European Union spoken by just under 3 million native speakers. The language is one of the oldest in the world.

Luxembourgish

  • Léift

Luxembourgish is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 390,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.

Luganda

  • kwagalana

Luganda, a Bantu language, is an official language of Uganda along with English and Swahili. It is spoken primarily in Kampala, but may be understood in much of the country and in the African Great Lakes region.

Macedonian

  • љубов (ljubov)

Macedonian, the official language of the Republic of North Macedonia, is a south Slavic language spoken as a first language by 2 million people.

Malagasy

  • Fitiavana

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar belonging to the Austronesian Malayo-Polynesia family of languages spoken by 25 million people.

Malay

  • Cinta
    — is the Malay word for love

Malay (Bahasa Melayu) is an Austronesian language spoken as the sole official language of Malaysia and Brunei. It is also heard in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand at a total of 250 – 300 million speakers.

Malayalam

  • സ്നേഹം (snēhaṁ)
    — is the word for love in Malayalam

Malayalam (മലയാളം) belongs to the Dravidian language family, spoken mostly in the Southern Indian states of Kerala and Lakshadweep. Around 36 million people use this language, which is one of the 22 official languages of India.

Maltese

  • Imħabba
    — is how you say love in Maltese

Maltese, a language of central Semitic origin written in the Latin script, is the national language of Malta. It is spoken by around 420,000 people on the Mediterranean islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. The Maltese language developed from Sicilian Arabic, Over the centuries, it has incorporated many words derived from English, Italian and French.

Maori

  • Aroha
    — love in Māori.
    Pronounced: ah-roh-huh. Always roll your r’s when enunciating Māori words

Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. it has also gained recognition as one of New Zealand’s official languages.

Marathi

  • प्रेम (prem)

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 83.1 million Marathi people of Maharashtra, India. It is the official language and co-official language in the Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India, respectively, and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

Marshallese

  • io̧kwe
    — is the Marshallese word for love

Marshallese, also known as Ebon, is a Micronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands by about 44,000 people. It is an official language of the Marshall Islands, along with English, and is used as the language of instruction in most primary schools.

Mongolian

  • Хайр (khair)
    — the word for love in Mongolian

Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia and both the most widely-spoken and best-known member of the Mongolic language family. It is an Altaic language spoken by approximately 5 million people in Mongolia, China, Afghanistan and Russia.

Moroccan Arabic

  • bgha بغا
  • Habb حب

Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija, is a form of vernacular Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum, with over 30 million native speakers.

Nepali

  • माया Maya
    — pronounced as Maayaa is the Nepali word for love

Nepali (नेपाली), is an Indo-Aryan language of the sub-branch of Eastern Pahari written in Devanagari script It is the sole official language of Nepal and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. While most Nepalese people speak at least some Nepali, there are more than 100 different languages and dialects spoken in Nepal.

Neapolitan

Love in Neapolitan

  • amore

Neapolitan is a Romance language of the Italo-Dalmatian group spoken across much of southern Italy by 6 million people. It is related to but generally not mutually intelligible with Italian.

Northern Sotho / Sepedi

  • Lerato

Northern Sotho is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages. It is spoken by about 4.2 million people in the South African provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Norwegian

The word for love in Norwegian:

  • kjærlighet

Norwegian (norsk) is a Germanic language derived from Old Norse spoken primarily in Norway by over 5 million people where it is the official language.

Odia

  • ପ୍ରେମ prēma

Odia is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha where it is the official language.

Oromo

  • Jaalala

Oromo is a Cushitic language spoken by about 30 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt. It is the third largest language in Africa.

Papiamento

Love in Papiamento:

  • Stimacion

Papiamento is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean by less than 500,00 native speakers. It is the most-widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having official status in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

Pashto

  • meena
    — means love in Pashto

Pashto is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European family spoken in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. It is an official language of Afghanistan along with Dari.

Polish

Say the word love in Polish:

  • miłość

Polish (polski) is a West Slavic language spoken by about 45 million people. Said to be one of the hardest languages to learn, it is the official language of Poland. It is understood and can be used for communication in the western parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.

Portuguese

  • amor
    — the Portuguese noun for love. The pronunciation is (ahm-OOR)

Portuguese (português) is a Romance language spoken as the official language of Portugal and Brazil. It is also the official language of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Principe, Angola, Mozambique, and the co-official language of East Timor, and Macau. There are around 200 million native Portuguese speakers.

Punjabi

  • ਪਿਆਰ pyaar
    — the Punjabi word for love. The pronunciation (pee-AHR)

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language with more than 130 million native speakers in the Indian subcontinent and around the world. It is the 10th most spoken language in the world.

Romanian

  • dragoste
    — the Romanian word for love

Romanian (limba română) is a Balkan Romance language spoken by approximately 24–26 million people as a native language, primarily in Romania and Moldova, and by another 4 million people as a second language. Although it descended from Vulgar Latin, Romanian was influenced by Slavic and Greek languages in the Middle Ages. It is an official and national language of both Romania and Moldova.

Russian

  • любить liubit’
    — the Russian noun for love, which is pronounced like (loo-BOHV).

Russian is an East Slavic language spoken by 300+ million people worldwide. It is  is an official language in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and many other people in Central Asia, the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe know it as a second language. Commonly written in Cyrillic, it is the 8th most widely spoken language in the world.

in a different language Love

Samoan

  • alofa
    — a commonly used word for love in Samoan

Samoan is the official language spoken in the Samoan Islands, which is made up of the Independent State of Samoa and the American Samoa. The language is the most spoken of the Polynesian language family with a total of 510,000 speakers worldwide.

Scottish Gaelic

  • Gràdh

Scots Gaelic is a Goidelic language of the Celtic and Indo-European language family, native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish.

Serbian

  • љубав (ljubav)

Serbian is a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Macedonia by about 9 million people. Serbian is the official and main language of Serbia and Montenegro.

Sesotho

  • Lerato

Sesotho (Sotho) is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho-Tswana group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language, South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages and in Zimbabwe where it is one of 16 official languages.

Shanghainese Wu

  • 我爱侬 (ngu eh nóng)

Shanghainese, part of the Sino-Tibetan language family, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the City of Shanghai and its surrounding areas by 10 – 14 million speakers.

Shona

  • rudo

Shona, one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages, is the main language in Zimbabwe.

Sindhi

  • پيار pyaar

Sindhi, an Indo-Aryan language, is the official language of the Pakistani province of Sindh and spoken by over 25 million Sindhi people.

Sinhala

  • ආදරය

Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 16 million Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka and is one of two official languages of Sri Lanka.

Slovak

  • milovať or láska
    — translates to love in Slovak

Slovak, the official language of Slovakia, is a West Slavic language where it is spoken by approximately 5.6 million people.

Slovenian

  • ljubezen
    — is the Slovenian word for love

Slovenian, an Indo-European language of the South Slavic language branch is the official and national language of Slovenia spoken by less than 3 million people.

Somali

  • Jaceyl

Somali, an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by over 16 million people, is an official language of Somalia, a national language in Djibouti, and a working language in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.

Spanish

A number of different words in Spanish are used to express the concept of love include:

  • Querer
    — a general term to use when you love a person, including friends, family or romantic interests.
  • Amor
    — a much stronger version of querer, and is only used in a romantic way
    pronounced ah-MOHR
  • Encantar
    — This word is used to indicate a strong like, particularly when referring to activities.

Spanish is the second most widely used language in the world natively spoken by more than 437 million people including Spain, most of Central and South America, Mexico and the USA. There are over 21 countries in the world that have Spanish as their official language. It is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

Sundanese

  • bogoh

Sundanese is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by about 39 million people mainly in western Java in Indonesia. There are also speakers in Banten, Jakarta, parts of western Central Java and southern Lampung. It is the third most-spoken language in Indonesia.

Swahili

  • Pendo or kupenda
    — is the Swahili word for love

Swahili is a Bantu languages spoken by the Swahili communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Swati

  • Ngiyakutsandza

Swati is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini and South Africa by the Swazi people. It is the official language of Swaziland (along with English) and since 1994 one of the nine indigenous languages to enjoy official recognition in South Africa. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 2.4 million.

Swedish

  • kärlek
    — the Swedish word for love.
    pronounced as (shar-LYEHK).

Swedish is a North Germanic language, closely related to Norwegian and Danish spoken by around 10 million people. A descendant of Old Norse, it is the national language of Sweden and the official language of the Åland Islands.

Swiss German

  • Liebe

Swiss German is the collective name for the great variety of Upper German dialects spoken in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg, in parts of Baden-Württemberg in Germany and Alsace in France.

Tagalog Filipino

  • Pag-ibig
    — pronounced as pah-GEE-big

Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Tahitian

  • Here
    — is the Tahitian word for love

Tahitian belongs to the Eastern Polynesian language group, spoken mainly on the Society Islands in French Polynesia and Bora Bora.

Taiwanese Hokkien

  • ài (愛)

Taiwanese Hokkien is the Hokkien dialect of Min Nan as spoken by about 70 percent of the population of Taiwan.

Tajik

  • Ишқ

Tajik is the main language of Tajikistan, closely related to Farsi and Kurdish. Since the late 1930s, it is written using a variant of the Cyrillic script.

Tamil

A number of different words in Tamil to express the idea of love include:

  • அன்பு (Anpu)
    — the general term for love. It can describe romantic love, affection, friendship or devotion.
  • காதல் (Katl)
    — used for expressing romantic love
  • பாசம் (Pachm)
    — the feeling of deeply connected love such as family or parental love.

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken in southern India, Sri Lanka and Singapore by about 67.5 million people. It can also be heard in Mauritius and Malaysia.

Tarifit

  • tayri

Tarifit is spoken by 8 million speakers in Arrif (Northern Africa) and Europe.

Tatar

  • Сөю

Tatar (татарча), the national language of the Tatars, is a Turkic language spoken mainly in the Russian republic of Tatarstan as well as Siberia by about 7 million people in Central Asia. It refers to the Volga-Kipchak Kipchak subgroup of the Turkic group of languages. 

Telugu

  • ప్రేమ (prēma)
    — is the Telugu word meaning love

Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the union territories of Puducherry by 75 million Telugu people.

Thai

How to say love in Thai:

  • ความรัก (kwam rak)
    — is the Thai noun for love
    pronounced as (kwahm rahk) with soft “k” sounds, almost like an “h”
  • รัก (Rák)
    — another Thai word for love

Thai ภาษาไทย, the sole official and national language of Thailand, spoken by 50 million people, belongs to the Tai group of the Kra–Dai language family of Southeast Asia.

Tibetan

  • བརྩེ་དུང་།
    — This is the Tibetan word for love

Tibetan is an official language of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. The Tibetic languages are a cluster of Tibeto-Burman languages descended from Old Tibetan, spoken across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas.

Tsalagi Cherokee

  • Adageyudi

Cherokee (Tsalagi) belongs to the Iroquoian language family. The Cherokee language is unique among Native American languages in that it is both a written and spoken language.

Tsonga

  • rhandza

Tsonga is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people totalling 12 million people mainly in South Africa, but also Mozambique and Eswatini.

Tswana

  • rata

Tswana is a Bantu language spoken by about 4.4 million people in Bostwana, where it is the national and majority language, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The majority of speakers, about 3.6 million, live in South Africa, where the language is officially recognised.

Turkish

  • aşk
    — the Turkish word for love, pronounced like ahshk.

Turkish is a Turkic language believed to be of the Altaic language family spoken mainly in Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Cyprus and other countries of the former Ottoman Empire by about 88 million people.

Ukrainian

  • любов (liubov)
    — the Ukranian word for love

Ukrainian is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine by about 51 million people.

Urdu

  • محبت (muhab-butt) or پیار (py-yaar)
    — means love in Urdu

Urdu is the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is a member of the Indo-Aryan group within the Indo-European family of languages and is mutually intelligible with Hindi.

Uzbek

  • Sevgi

Uzbek is a Turkic language that is the official national language of Uzbekistan spoken by around 27 million people.

Vietnamese

How to express love in Vietnamese:

  • tình yêu

Vietnamese is an Austroasiatic language spoken mainly in Vietnam, where it is the national and official language, by about 82 million people.

Welsh

  • cariad
    — how to say love in Welsh

Welsh is a Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken natively in Wales, and by some in England.

Woiworung

  • Wominjeka

Woiworung is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Kulin Nation of Central Victoria.

Xhosa

  • uthando
    — is the Xhosa word for love

Xhosa is a Nguni Bantu language with click consonants and is one of the official languages of South Africa. It is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province.

Yiddish

  • ליבע (libe)

Yiddish is the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews originating during the 9th century in Central Europe. Belonging to the Indo-European language family, it is spoken by 1.5 million people.

Yoruba

  • ifê

Yoruba is a pluricentric language spoken in West Africa with the number of speakers estimated between 30 and 40 million. It is a language spoken principally in Nigeria and Benin, with communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia, other parts of Africa.

Zulu

  • uthando
    — is the word for love in Zulu

Zulu is a member of the Bantu/Nguni family of languages. It is one of the official languages of South Africa spoken by about 10 million people mainly in Zululand and northern Natal in South Africa and also in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Eswatini.

More love in different languages below…

The word for LOVE in Other Languages – BONUS

love in another language

American Sign Language (ASL)

How to say love in American Sign Language:

  • Love for living beings:
    This word is signed by crossing both arms over the middle of your chest and “hugging” yourself
  • Love for actions or objects: 
    This word is signed by kissing the back of your fist

American Sign Language is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English, expressed by movements of the hands and face.

British Sign Language (BSL)

How to say love in British Sign Language:

  • Flat hands cross over on left side of chest.

British Sign Language is a sign language used in the United Kingdom as the first or preferred language of some deaf people. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands, body, face, and head.

Dothraki

  • Anha zhilak yera norethaan
    — How to say love in Dothraki

Dothraki is a constructed fictional language spoken by the Dothraki, a nomadic people in the fictional world of George Martin’s fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation the Game of Thrones.

Elvish Sindarin

  • Meleth or melmë
    — How to say love in Elvish

Elvish Sindarin is one of the fictional languages created by J. R. R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories set in Arda, primarily in Middle-earth. Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin.

Espetanto

  • Amo

Esperanto is an artificially constructed language and belongs to no linguistic family, with most of its vocabulary coming from the Romance languages. This phonetic language is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language.

Klingon

  • muSHa’
    — this is the word for love in Klingon

Klingon is a language that was made for the Klingons in the Star Trek movie. It is a constructed language, and not one that developed naturally. Only a few people can speak the Klingon language well enough to talk in it.

Minionese

  • Amor

Minionese spoken by the minions of the Despicable Me movie series appears to be a polyglot language which borrows words and grammatical rules from many different languages.

Na’vi

  • Nga Yawne Lu Oer

Na’vi is a constructed language, created for the fictional Na’vi, the humanoid inhabitants of the moon Pandora in the 2009 film Avatar.


Learn how to say I LOVE YOU….

Read this guide on how to say I love you in a different language.

Aaaaaaaand now you know how to say love in every language of the world!

OVER TO YOU GUYS!
What is the word for love in your language? Extra points if you can speak several languages… Let me know in the comments.

If you see an error here or if your language is missing from this list, please comment and let me know!

Love <3

Rai x

Love in Different Languages: A lover is someone who loves you unconditionally; supports you and stands by your side in every up and down. We are surrounded by so many people and meet so many new throughout the life. The first form of love we see as a child is mother.

Love in European Languages

Translation of word Love in almost 42 European languages.

Different Languages Word Love
Albanian dashuri
Basque maite
Belarusian каханне
Bosnian ljubav
Bulgarian обичам
Catalan amor
Corsican amore
Croatian ljubav
Czech milovat
Danish elsker
Dutch liefde
Estonian armastus
Finnish rakkaus
French amour
Frisian leafde
Galician amor
German Liebe
Greek αγάπη [agápi]
Hungarian szerelem
Icelandic Ást
Irish grá
Italian amore
Latvian mīlestība
Lithuanian meilė
Luxembourgish Léift
Macedonian љубов
Maltese imħabba
Norwegian kjærlighet
Polish miłość
Portuguese amor
Romanian dragoste
Russian любовь [lyubov’]
Scots Gaelic ghaoil
Serbian љубав [ljubav]
Slovak milovať
Slovenian ljubezen
Spanish amor
Swedish kärlek
Tatar мәхәббәт
Ukrainian любов [lyubov]
Welsh cariad
Yiddish ליבע

Translation of word Love in almost 36 Asian languages.

Different Languages Word Love
Armenian Սեր
Azerbaijani sevgi
Bengali ভালবাসা
Chinese Simplified 爱 [ài]
Chinese Traditional 愛 [ài]
Georgian მიყვარს
Gujarati પ્રેમ
Hindi मोहब्बत
Hmong hlub
Japanese
Kannada ಪ್ರೀತಿ
Kazakh махаббат
Khmer ស្រឡាញ់
Korean 애정 [aejeong]
Kyrgyz сүйүү
Lao ຮັກ
Malayalam സ്നേഹം
Marathi प्रेम
Mongolian хайртай
Myanmar (Burmese) ချစ်ခြင်းမေတ္တာ
Nepali प्रेम
Odia ପ୍ରେମ
Pashto مينه
Punjabi ਪਿਆਰ
Sindhi پيار
Sinhala ආදරය
Tajik дӯст доштан
Tamil அன்பு
Telugu ప్రేమ
Thai ความรัก
Turkish Aşk
Turkmen söýgi
Urdu محبت
Uyghur مۇھەببەت
Uzbek sevgi
Vietnamese yêu

Love in Middle East Languages

Translation of word Love in 4 middle eastern languages.

Different Languages Word Love
Arabic حب [hubun]
Hebrew אהבה
Kurdish (Kurmanji) evîn
Persian عشق

Love in African Languages

Translation of word Love in almost 13 African languages.

Different Languages Word Love
Afrikaans lief
Amharic ፍቅር
Chichewa ndimakukondani
Hausa son
Igbo n’anya
Kinyarwanda urukundo
Sesotho rata
Shona rudo
Somali jeclahay
Swahili upendo
Xhosa uthando
Yoruba ni ife
Zulu uthando

Love in Austronesian Languages

Translation of word Love in almost 10 Austronesian languages.

Different Languages Word Love
Cebuano nahigugma
Filipino pag-ibig
Hawaiian aloha
Indonesian cinta
Javanese tresna
Malagasy fitiavana
Malay suka
Maori aroha
Samoan alofa
Sundanese bogoh

Love in Other Foreign Languages

Different Languages Word Love
Esperanto love
Haitian Creole renmen
Latin diligitis

Arslan Hussain

My name is Arslan Hussain and I am co-founder of The Different Languages blog. Have years of experience in digital marketing, My best hobby is blogging and feel awesome to spend time in it.

How to Say “I Love You” in Different Languages – Word Nerd Series

Since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching here in the States, today on Word Nerd we’re going to dive into the words for love in different languages.

Words for Love in Ancient Greek

The ancient Greeks had four words for love, eros, agape, philia, and storgéPhilia is the word for the sort of love one shares with one’s friends, but also a strong fondness for certain activities.  Its root is the suffix –phil– which specifies an attraction or affinity toward something. You’ll recognize it from words such as hemophilia, which literally means “an affinity toward bleeding profusely.”

Storgé is specifically the sort of instinctual affection that is shared between family members, or between a person and their pet. Agape is more of a selfless and unconditional, spiritual love.

And eros is passionate, carnal romantic love. Eros is also the name of the Greek god of love, whose Roman counterpart is called Cupid.

Words for Love Around the World Lingusitics origins of love

Words for Love Around the World

The equivalent word for eros in the Hindu and Buddhist tradition is kama, which you’ll recognize from the title of the Kamasutra, an ancient Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism, and emotional fulfillment.

In Arabic the word is ishq, and in some Islamic traditions, it was thought to be the feeling which inspired creation itself.  Arabic has many other words for various types of love, including habb, which you’ll recognize from the words habib and habibi, terms of endearment for a man or a woman respectively.

The Hebrew word חֶסֶד or chesed, is used to speak of love or kindness from or towards God or between people.  It’s also one of the 10 emanations of the tree of life in the Kabbalistic tradition. 

In Romanian, the word dragoste is used and it describes both familial love, romantic love, affection, and endearment. 

In Czech, milovat is used, from the root word mily, meaning “kind or dear,” and the suffix –ovat which creates verbs out of nouns or adjectives. 

In Swahili, the word upendo is used, which is also a common name for boy children.

Love in the Pacific Islands

In the Māori language, there is the word aroha, which
means “to have empathy for, to feel compassion for, to love or feel
concern for.”  The phrase murimuri
aroha
is an even deeper expression of that feeling or action of yearning,
and includes the yearning one feels when one is in grief. The word whakaipo
means, “to cherish, woo or treat with affection,” and one would
probably whakaipo one’s taupuhi, or “beloved.”

In Hawaii, people use the word aloha as a greeting,
but at the heart of that greeting is a deeper feeling of peaceful, loving
friendship toward other people and toward and from the natural world.

In the
Tamil language of Sri Lanka, there are over 40 nuanced words for love, that
include words for unreciprocated love, delusion while in love, and even a
specific word for the action of showing your love for someone by holding them
in your arms. 

History of Love in English

how to say “I love you” in Different Languages

We could
certainly use some of these more descriptive words in the English language! We
only have one word for love; from the proto-indo european root leubh
which meant “to care, desire.” 
We have absorbed some words from other languages to expand upon that
feeling for example, amorous, from Old French amoros, from Latin amor
and passion, from Latin passio, meaning “to suffer.”

In China, the
symbols for “I love you,” are  我爱你” (wǒ ài nǐ), but because
the sentiment behind these words is so strong, they are not often used or said
aloud.  People tend to perform actions for each other to show their
affection instead.  Because the symbols
for “I love you” and the symbols for the number 520 sound very
similar when spoken, there is a newer custom amongst younger people to text
each other these numbers as a code for terms of affection.

Nordic Love Language

In many of the Nordic languages, the word for love is some variant of the word elske, most often verb form.  This is reserved for only the most extreme of feelings, so generally, people use the terms jeg liker deg, which means, “I like you,” or, jeg er glad i deg, which means “I’m glad of you,” or “you make me happy.”  The word kjære means “beloved” and in Norwegian, there is just one word for boyfriend or girlfriend, which is kjæreste.

I hope this exploration was an education in the various expressions of love in many of the beautiful languages of our world.  Explore more ways to say I Love You around the world, along with some fascinating Valentine’s facts and trivia!

How to say I love You in different languages

Speak Your Love’s Language

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Give us 30 minutes a day and we’ll have you speaking your new language in no time. That’s all it takes for you to confidently say “I love you,” or “je t’aime” or “te amo” in the language of your choice, and sweep them off their feet. Learn while on the go and surprise your loved one with your new language.

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