What is the Japanese equivalent of 'you're in my heart'?


According to [this](http://www.yesjapan.com/YJ6/question/4954/how-do-you-say-
you-are-in-my-heart), the translation would be:

> あなたは わたしの こころに います。

That seems simple enough. However, the same source claims it's not in use, and
recommends the following instead:

> いつも あなたのことを おもっています。

I don't get how it's the same.

The first one implies romantic feelings, while the second one can mean
anything. There are many reasons for thinking about someone.




Culturally, Japanese people are not as publicly direct about their deepest
feelings. In English speaking cultures, we use the phrase "I love you" a LOT.
It can be for an intimate relationship, or it can be used for a best friend
with no romantic undertones. You won't hear the Japanese people say 愛している the
same way Americans tend to use the English equivalent.

This is because in Japanese culture, you tend to 'beat around the bush.' In
other words, the Japanese language isn't as direct in what they say... At
least in literal translation. Once you get the hang of the culture, you'll get
used to the indirect directness of the Japanese language.

Let's break down the second sentence a little bit to help you understand
what's going on here.

**いつも** - Always, or at all times.

**あなたのこと** - literally translated as `your things.` In general usage, however,
we can take this to mean `everything about you.` I would take this to include
physical and emotional characteristics of the individual in question.

**を** - object marker.

**おもっています** - to be thinking about. Used in combination with いつも, you get the
implication that you hold what you are thinking about dear to you... in your
heart if you will.

Bringing it all together, you get the literal translation:

> I'm always thinking about you.

But if we add on to the sentence to capture true implications of what is being
said (indirect though it may be):

> I'm always thinking about you, your smile, the way you laugh, your beauty,
> everything. (I hold these thoughts dear to me.)

All things considered, I think that this is an appropriate Japanese
approximation of `You're always in my heart.` You'll find this frequently in
studying different languages, but sometimes English idioms are translated
completely different in Japanese. See [this
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/70539/what-is-the-
meaning-
of-%E5%B1%B1%E3%81%AF%E8%B6%8A%E3%81%88%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88/70545#70545), for
example.

Finally, this is a prime example of my final point. You will find that often
in Japanese, what is implied carries a lot more meaning than what is said. So
just because something doesn't appear as direct as you expect doesn't mean
that it isn't. It is easy for the Japanese learner to be deceived in this
respect.




Culturally, Japanese people are not as publicly direct about their deepest
feelings. In English speaking cultures, we use the phrase "I love you" a LOT.
It can be for an intimate relationship, or it can be used for a best friend
with no romantic undertones. You won't hear the Japanese people say 愛している the
same way Americans tend to use the English equivalent.

This is because in Japanese culture, you tend to 'beat around the bush.' In
other words, the Japanese language isn't as direct in what they say... At
least in literal translation. Once you get the hang of the culture, you'll get
used to the indirect directness of the Japanese language.

Let's break down the second sentence a little bit to help you understand
what's going on here.

**いつも** - Always, or at all times.

**あなたのこと** - literally translated as `your things.` In general usage, however,
we can take this to mean `everything about you.` I would take this to include
physical and emotional characteristics of the individual in question.

**を** - object marker.

**おもっています** - to be thinking about. Used in combination with いつも, you get the
implication that you hold what you are thinking about dear to you... in your
heart if you will.

Bringing it all together, you get the literal translation:

> I'm always thinking about you.

But if we add on to the sentence to capture true implications of what is being
said (indirect though it may be):

> I'm always thinking about you, your smile, the way you laugh, your beauty,
> everything. (I hold these thoughts dear to me.)

All things considered, I think that this is an appropriate Japanese
approximation of `You're always in my heart.` You'll find this frequently in
studying different languages, but sometimes English idioms are translated
completely different in Japanese. See [this
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/70539/what-is-the-
meaning-
of-%E5%B1%B1%E3%81%AF%E8%B6%8A%E3%81%88%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88/70545#70545), for
example.

Finally, this is a prime example of my final point. You will find that often
in Japanese, what is implied carries a lot more meaning than what is said. So
just because something doesn't appear as direct as you expect doesn't mean
that it isn't. It is easy for the Japanese learner to be deceived in this
respect.

