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.

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:

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Learn how to say HELLO and GOODBYE too!

Read this guide to say hello in other languages of the world.
or this one on how to say goodbye in every language.
or maybe cheers 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