Sometimes, the English language doesn't feel adequate for expressing how much you care about somebody.

For those times, it can be fun to venture outside your comfort zone a bit. Here's how to say "I love you" in the 28 other most widely spoken languages in the world for all of your Instagram caption needs.

Mandarin:

"我喜欢你"

Romanization: wǒ xǐhuan nǐ

Since the literal translation of "I love you" is seen as too direct to most Chinese-speakers, this phrase instead means "I like you," but it still gets the job done.

 

Hindi:

"मैं आप से प्यार करती हूँ"

Romanization: maiṃ āpa se pyāra karatī hūn

As in many languages, the words used in Hindi can change around a little bit based on the gender of the user. If you're a girl, use the text above, but if you're a guy, swap out "karatī" with "karatā."

(via Shutterstock)

 

Spanish:

"Te amo"

 

French:

"Je t'aime."

 

Arabic:

"أنا احبك"

Romanization: ana uhibbuka

The pronunciation of this one is a little bit different depending on the subject of the sentence. If the person you love it a male, use the guide above. However, if it's a female, pronounce it "ana uhibbuki."

 

Russian:

"Я люблю тебя"

Romanization: ya lyublyu tebya

 

Bengali:

"আমি তোমাকে/তোমাদের ভালোবাসি"

Romanization: Āmi tōmāẏa bhālōbāsi

 

Portuguese

"Eu te amo"

 

Indonesian

"Saya sayang kamu"

 

Urdu

"یں تم سے پیار کرتا ہوں"

Romanization: maiṃ āpa se pyāra karatī hūn

Since Hindi and Urdu have similar roots, their words for "I love you" are the same, even if the text is different. Like in Hindi, this is the form spoken by a woman. If you're a man, use "karatā" instead of "karatī."

 

German

"Ich liebe dich"

"Ich liebe dich" translates literally to "I love you" in English, but it's a pretty serious term and should only be used with someone you have a close romantic relationship with. If you're going for something softer, try "Ich hab' dich lieb" instead.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Japanese

"大好きだよ"

Romanization: Daisuki da yo

While "daisuki" technically means "really like," it's the best way to show how much you adore someone in Japanese. If you were speaking to someone in real life, you could probably just say "daisuki," but the "da yo" emphasizes the other person if you're using it as an Insta caption.

 

Swahili

"Nakupenda"

 

Western Punjabi

"ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਪਿਆਰ ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ"

Romanization: mai'n tainū piyāra karadī hā'n

You may have noticed that Punjabi has some similarities to Hindi and Urdu, but that doesn't make it the same. Again, the above text should be spoken by ladies. Guys should replace "karadī" with "karadā."

 

Javanese

"Aku tresno karo kowe"

 

Wu

"侬愛你"

Romanization: nguh eh non

 

Telugu

"నేను నిన్ను ప్రేమిస్తున్నాను"

Romanization: nēnu ninnu prēmistunnānu

 

Turkish

"Seni seviyorum"

 

Korean

"사랑해"

Romanization: salanghae

The Korean language has various levels of formality. Above is the informal version (hopefully you're familiar enough with the person you love that you can use this language!) but there's also the very formal salanghabnida and the polite saranghaeyo, if those are better matches for your situation.

 

Marathi

"मी तुझ्यावर प्रेम करतो"

Romanization: mī tujhyāvara prēma karatē

The Indian subcontinent has a number of incredible languages with similar origins, so this may start looking pretty familiar by now. As with the others, the above is for female speakers. Males should say "karatõ" instead of "karatē."

 

Tamil

"நான் உன்னை மிகவும் காதலிக்கிறேன்"

Romanization: nāṉ uṉṉai mikavum kātalikkiṟēṉ

 

Yue

"我愛你"

Romanization: ngóh oi néih

(via Shutterstock)

 

Vietnamese

"Em yêu anh"

When you're talking about yourself in Vietnamese, you should take your gender into account. The above is for a woman to say to a man of about the same age. If you're a man talking to a woman, use "anh yêu em." For a more versatile statement, try "tôi yêu bạn," with is softer but gender neutral.

 

Hausa

"Ina sonki"

 

Thai

"ฉันรักคุณ"

Romanization: chan rak khun

Like some of the other languages we've listed, Thai changes depending on the genders of the people involved. The above is an informal way for a woman to say "I love you" to a man. If the genders are reversed, it becomes "phom rak khun."

 

Persian

"دوستت دارم"

Romanization: duset dāram

Southern Min

"我愛汝"

Romanization: gua ai li

 

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