How to say you “like” something/someone in Korean: synonyms for 좋아하다

You probably already know that 좋아하다 means "to like". You can say that about things and people. What are some other words you can use instead of 좋아하다? Here are some of them with some example sentences.

좋아하다 = to like (in general)
- 좋아하는 책 = a book I like
- 좋아하는 사람 = someone I like

마음에 들다 = to like (something/someone that you are seeing or experiencing for the first time)
- 여기 오늘 처음 와 봤는데 마음에 들어요. = It's my first time here, and I like it here.
- 이 노래 마음에 들어요. = Oh, I like this song!

아끼다 = to cherish, to hold dear, to value
- 제가 아끼는 책이에요. = It's a big that I cherish.
- 가장 아끼는 물건이 뭐예요? = What's an object you value the most?

애지중지하다 = to cherish, to treasure
- 제 친구는 자전거를 애지중지해요. = My friend takes great care of his precious bike.
- 애지중지하는 물건 = an object that one cherishes (and doesn't want anyone to touch)

귀여워하다 = to adore, to dote on
- 선생님은 학생들을 정말 귀여워했어요. = The teacher adores her students.
- 자기 자식처럼 귀여워하다 = to love someone like their own child

And here are a couple more words related to 좋아하다.

사랑하다 = to love
선호하다 = to prefer

And lastly, here is a slang expression that you might hear Korean native speakers use quite often.

애정하다 (slang) to really like

애정 is originally a noun that means "love" or "affection" and people now use it as a verb by attaching 하다 to it.

- 제가 애정하는 앨범이에요. = It's an album that I love.
- 애정하는 카메라 = a camera that one cherishes

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