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((Transferred from old guild.))

As to why there are several ways to say it, it's to show different degrees of "love."

好き=すき=suki (This shows love as in interest in a relationship, but not necessarily sexual.)
大好き=だいすき=daisuki (This shows love as in between family members and very close friends.)
愛する=あいする=aisuru (This shows romantic love.)
恋する=こいする=koisuru (This implies a sexual relationship. The base of the verb, "koi" is also used for the word "lover," which is "kobito" (恋人=こいびと).)

Adding this on since it might be useful. Probably going to make some mistakes so I hope one of the more senior members might read and correct any they see.

To describe liking a thing and not a person, you can use these terms:
興味がある　－　きょうみがある　－ kyoumi ga aru - "have an interest in"
気に入る　－　きにいる　－ ki ni iru - "be interested in"/ "be attracted to"
似合う　－　にあう　－ niau - "suits (a person)"
得意　－　とくい　－ tokui - "specialty"/"good at and like"
好き　－　すき　－ suki - "like"

It may seem like suki would always be the obvious choice, but many Japanese people won't respond if you ask them "何がすきですか？" (nani ga suki desuka?). Suki tends to have a straightforward and assertive connotation that isn't always comfortable for Japanese people.

Example sentences:
興味がある　－　Kyoumi　Ga　Aru：

１．日本語の興味があります。
Nihongo no kyoumi ga arimasu.
I have an interest in Japanese.

２．剣道の興味があります。
Kendo no kyoumi ga arimasu.
I have an interest in Kendo.

３．ドラマの興味がありません。
Dorama no kyoumi ga arimasen.
I have no interest in dramas.

気に入る　－ ki ni iru

1.　この動画が気に入りました。
kono douga ga ki ni irimashita.
This video sparked my interest.

２．最近写真が気に入った。
saikin shashin ga ki ni itta.
Lately I've gotten interested in photography.

３．言語の違いが気に入りました。
Gengo no chigai ga ki ni irimashita.
I'm interested in the differences of languages.

似合う　－　Niau

１．君の新しいヘ-アスタイルが似合います。
Kimi no atarashii he-asutairu ga niaimasu.
Your new hairstyle suits you.

２．このジャケットが私を似合います。
kono jakketto ga watasho wo niaimasu.
This jacket suits me.

３．彼が彼女を似合います。
kare ga kanojo wo niaimasu.
He suits her. (He looks good with her)

得意　－　Tokui

１．バスケットバールが得意です。
basukettobo-ru ga tokui desu.
I'm good at and like basketball.

２．私が別に得意がありません。
watashi ga betsu ni tokui ga arimasen.
I don't really have any specialties.

３．カラスの絵を描くの得意です。
karasu no e wo kaku no tokui desu.
I'm especially good at drawing crows.


I'm gonna skip "suki" because it's pretty interchangeable with 'like' in the normal English usage.

ああ、本当らしいですね。　びっくり　 eek
今までいつも　～の興味があると聞いていたけど、インタネットで検索しったら全ては　「に」　になってしまった。でもこの辺の皆が「の」と言うはずです。明日聞いてみます　 3nodding

(translation:
Oh, you're right. What a shock!
I've always heard "no" until now, but when I searched the internet it was all "ni". But I'm sure the people in this area say "no". I'll try asking tomorrow.)