Declaring love isn’t easy but these phrases are
Have you ever thought about confessing your love to someone in Japanese? Or do you want someone to romantically confess to you like in the kokuhaku scene of Japanese movies and animes? These 10 kokuhaku aka confession phrases will give you some ideas of what and how Japanese people express their love. Please read this and confess to someone you like in Japanese!
How Japanese people confess “kokuhaku”?
Kokuhaku or a confession is how we in Japan start a romantic relationship with someone. Typically a guy will ask a girl whether she would like to be his girlfriend or not. (Of course, it can go the other way, girls ask guys too!) If she says yes, that means they are now a new couple! Confessing your feelings can be very hard, but with this guide you’ll be ready to express your love. You might even discover some has already kokuhaku’d you!
Common places Japanese people confess their love to their partner
A confession is an important memory for a couple. Therefore, it is best to confess your feelings in a place that is special for you and to someone who you like so that it becomes a wonderful memory. The place doesn’t need to be somewhere really expensive or gorgeous but it should feel special and romantic for your love interest. These are 12 places where Japanese people tend to confess and get a resounding “Yes” from the other party.
- A place of memories or a secret spot for the two of you
- On the ferris wheel at an amusement park
- A quiet place with a beautiful night view
- A beach with not many people around
- Favorite place of the person who you’re interested in
- A classroom after school
- In your house
- On the road on the way home
- At a Japanese firework festival
- A fancy restaurant where you usually don’t go
- In the car while driving
- In the park at night
Do you have your ideal place to confess to someone or get confessed by someone you’re interested in? If you’re a highschool student, a classroom after school is definitely one of the best places to confess. Places like on the road on the way home or in the car while driving are great if you want to casually ask your interest. If you want to make a big impression, confess to your love interest on the ferris wheel at an amusement park or at a quiet place with a beautiful night view. It’s romantic and will show that you are ambitious.
So now you know where Japanese people confess to their love interest, but how do they confess? These are 10 kokuhaku phrases that Japanese people often use. If you’re a woman, use watashi. If you’re a man, use ore.
Common kokuhaku phrases
- Tsukiatte kudasai (Will you date me?)
- Kanojyo/Kareshi ni natte kudasai (Can you become my gf/bf?)
- Ore/Watashi no soba ni ite kurenai? (Would you stay with me?)
- Kekkon zentei de otsukiai sasete kudasai (Can you date me to associate marriage?)
- [love interest] ha mou ore no kanojyo dayo ne (You’re already my gf, aren’t you?)
They are really common and most people say them when they kokuhaku someone. Sometimes it’s more fun to be really cheesy with kokuhaku. Listed below are some fun ones to try when you’re not feeling super serious!
Cheesy kokuhaku phrases
- Tsuki ga kirei desu ne (Anata ga suki desu / I like you)
- “Tsuki ga kirei desu ne” means “the moon is beautiful.” Natsume Soseki, who was born in the 1800s, was a very famous novelist in Japan. He wrote a poem and used the phrase “Tsuki ga kirei desu ne” instead “I love you” because there were not many people saying this phrase directly to love interests in the past in Japan. This more indirect statement is perfect for people who are more shy. If a Japanese person tells you this to you, it means that they like you!
You can change these phrases a little bit to customize your own original phrases when you do kokuhaku!
Ex) Ore ha [love interest] no koto ga suki! Ore no soba ni zutto ite kurenai? (I like “ your interest’s name”. Will you stay with me forever?)
Cheesy proposal phrases
I asked a bunch of my girl and guy friends if they know any funny or cheesy proposal words in Japanese. I’ll introduce them down below!
- Ore no misoshiru wo maiasa tukutte kurenai? (Can you make miso soup for me every morning?)
- Miso soup is an all time favorite breakfast food of the Japanese. This phrase infers that they want their bf/gf to make breakfast for them lol. I think it’s kind of funny, though some girls will say “I’m not your mom make your own shit”, so be careful with this phrase. Sometimes, it could backfire.
- Ore dake no hiroine ni natte kudasai! (Can you become my only one heroine?)
- Korekara ha kazoku to shite sobani ite kurenai ka? (From now on will you stay with me as my family?)
- Ore ga omae no koto wo issho mamoru! (I’ll protect you forever)
Once you know these basic kokuhaku phrases, it’s easier to make your own kokuhaku phrases. If you want to tell your love to someone, why don’t you just try after this? Telling your feelings to someone may require a lot of courage but it’s relieving to express them. Let us know of any interesting or chessy kokuhaku that you’ve heard or been told, the experience of confessing to someone in Japanese or being confessed to by someone in Japanese. We’d love to hear your experiences.
Thank you so much for reading. If you’re looking for opportunities to meet new people in Japan, please also check this article about 5 best online dating apps to try while in Japan. A lot of college students use Tinder for dating purposes and young professionals use a Japanese dating app called Pairs to look for dating opportunities!