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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "prefer" in Japanese?
好む
konomu
In Japanese, "prefer" is 好む (konomu).
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Pronunciation
Ko-no-mu, three syllables, stress spread evenly, nothing like the stress pattern of English 'prefer'.
Writing and usage
好む is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
私はコーヒーよりお茶の方が好きです。
watashi ha koohii yorio cha no houga suki desu.
I prefer tea to coffee.
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How to remember 好む
Konomu sounds like 'cone, oh, moo' — you prefer the ice cream cone over the plain moo of milk.
Related words
- whistle 口笛を吹く kuchibue wo fuku
- yawn あくびをする akubiwosuru
- hiccup しゃっくりする shakkurisuru
- blink まばたきをする mabatakiwosuru
- stretch 伸びをする nobi wosuru
- bend 曲げる mage ru
- kneel ひざまずく hizamazuku
- squat しゃがむ shagamu
- compare 比較する hikaku suru
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 好む
How do you pronounce 好む?
Ko-no-mu, three syllables, stress spread evenly, nothing like the stress pattern of English 'prefer'.
Is 好む formal or casual?
好む is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 好む written in Japanese?
好む is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as konomu.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Prefer" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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