Key Point: Whether you use the MSA uḥibbuk(i) or the dialect baḥebbak/ik, people will almost always understand you. kanbghīk on the other hand might be a less widely understood.
The most common and literal way to say I love you in Arabic is:
- To a man: uḥibbuka (أُحِبُّكَ) (sounds like: oo-heb-book-a)
- To a woman: uḥibbuki (أُحِبُّكِ) (sounds like: oo-heb-boo-kee)
As you can see, the ending changes depending on who you’re talking to.
This is the standard way to say “I love you” in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the formal version of Arabic used in writing, news, and formal speeches.
It comes from the verb aḥabba (أَحَبَّ), meaning “to love”.
أُحِبُّكَ
uḥibbuka
I love you (to a male)
أُحِبُّكِ
uḥibbuki
I love you (to a female)
While this is the ‘correct’ MSA form, people don’t actually speak like this in real life.
You’ll hear different expressions in daily spoken Arabic (the dialects).
Saying “I love you” in Arabic dialects
In everyday conversation, people use colloquial dialects (like Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, etc.).
The way they say “I love you” is usually a bit different, especially in pronunciation.
Here are the most common dialect versions:
To a male: baḥebbak (بحبك) - Common in Egyptian and Levantine (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine) Arabic. To a female: baḥebbik (بحبك) - Common in Egyptian and Levantine Arabic.
بحبك
baḥebbak
I love you (to a male, dialect)
بحبك
baḥebbik
I love you (to a female, dialect)
Note: Even though the Arabic spelling (بحبك) looks the same for both male and female in dialects, the pronunciation of the last vowel sound changes (-ak vs -ik).
What about Moroccan?
In Moroccan Arabic (Darija), كنبغيك (kanbghīk) also means “I love you.”
Here’s the structure:
| Part | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كـ (ka-) | prefix for “I” (first person) | In Darija, verbs are often conjugated by adding prefixes. |
| نبغي (nbghi) | “to want” or “to love” | Root verb بغا (bgha) originally means “to want,” but can mean “to love” depending on context. |
| ـك (k) | “you” (object pronoun) | Direct object pronoun for “you.” |
So كنبغيك is literally: - كـ (I) + نبغي (want/love) + ك (you) = “I love you.”
It might appear a bit odd but the root ب غ ى (b-gh-y) in Classical Arabic (بغى) originally meant “to desire” or “to seek.”
- In most Arabic dialects (including Moroccan), بغى shifted to mean “want” or even “love” depending on the context.
- Over time in Darija specifically, بغى became so associated with affection that بغيتك (bghītak) or نبغيك evolved to كنبغيك in everyday speech to mean “I love you.”
Adding more intensity
Want to say “I love you so much”? You can add words like:
- jiddan (جِدًّا) - Meaning “very” or “so much” (MSA)
- ktīr (كتير) - Meaning “a lot” (Levantine dialect)
- ʾawi (قوي) - Meaning “a lot” or “strongly” (Egyptian dialect)
أُحِبُّكِ جِدًّا
uḥibbuki jiddan
I love you so much (MSA, to a female)
بحبك كتير
baḥebbak ktīr
I love you so much (Levantine, to a male)
بحبك قوي
baḥebbik ʾawi
I love you so much (Egyptian, to a female)
It’s not just for romance
Just like English, uḥibbuka or baḥebbak/ik can be used for family members and close friends too. The context usually makes it clear what kind of love you mean.
Arabs often express affection openly with family and friends, so don’t be surprised to hear it used platonically.
How to respond to “I love you”
If someone tells you uḥibbuk or baḥebbak/ik, a common and lovely response is:
“And I love you too”:
- (MSA) wa anā aidan uḥibbuk(i) (وأنا أيضاً أُحِبُّك / أُحِبُّكِ)
- (Dialect) wāna kamān baḥebbak/ik (وأنا كمان بحبك) - kamān means “also” or “too” in many dialects.
وأنا كمان بحبك
wāna kamān baḥebbak
And I love you too (Dialect, to a male)
The key is knowing whether you’re speaking to a male (uḥibbuka / baḥebbak) or a female (uḥibbuki / baḥebbik).
The dialect versions (like baḥebbak/ik) are what you’ll hear most often in real life, but the MSA form (uḥibbuk/i) is perfectly understood too.
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