When to use it
좋아해요 is the classic confession in Korean dramas, a step before 사랑해요. 좋아요 on its own means "it's good" or "I like it".
Letter by letter: 좋아해요
Korean is written in syllable blocks. Here is what each block of 좋아해요 is made of.
| Block | Letters | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| 좋 | ㅈ + ㅗ + ㅎ | ㅈ j, ㅗ o, ㅎ t (at the end) |
| 아 | ㅇ + ㅏ | ㅇ silent, ㅏ a |
| 해 | ㅎ + ㅐ | ㅎ h, ㅐ ae |
| 요 | ㅇ + ㅛ | ㅇ silent, ㅛ yo |
Written 좋아해요, but said [조아해요]: silent ㅎ before a vowel. The romanizer explains these sound rules for any word.
New to the letters? Tap through the Hangul chart to hear each one.
How to type it
On a standard Korean keyboard (2-set), press these keys in order:
WㅈHㅗGㅎDㅇKㅏGㅎOㅐDㅇYㅛ
Practice with the online Korean keyboard, or learn the layout in the typing test.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "I like you" in Korean?
The everyday polite way is 좋아해요 (joahaeyo). With close friends, say 좋아해.
How do you pronounce 좋아해요?
It sounds like "joahaeyo", because of Korean sound changes it is said as [조아해요]. Press the speaker button on this page to hear it.
Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, with sound changes. Audio: a recorded native-sounding Korean voice.
Last checked: 2026-10-20