The Japanese do not have a direct way to say "I miss you" in their language. This is because they, as a people, are not very direct or open emotionally. It might seem stereotypical but stereotypes come from somewhere.
As a result of this, the Japanese, and foreigners wishing to express certain sentiments, have to say things in a round-about way. It is most common to use the word "sabishii", meaning "I'm lonely" or "aitai" meaning "I want to see you".
As with all languages, there are different connotations with words. The word "Koishigaru" is to suggest you miss someone if they're your lover, whereas "samishiigaru" is for the rest. There are gender splits too. Men would use "Kimi ga inakute tottemo samishii yo", whilst women would use "Anata ga inakute tottemo samishii wa". If you were writing to someone, or speaking to them via the phone, you could say "Anata ga koishii", which means you long for or miss that person.
To almost spell out "I miss you" by forcing the separate wordings together you could say "wa ta shi, wa, a na ta, wo, o mo ttei ru" (______). This is a very broken translation though.
As earlier mentioned, it is most common to go roughly around the saying. You could say "sabishii desu" to mean "I miss you", or perhaps "anata ga inakute sabishii desu". This last one can also be said as "Anata ni aenakute sabishii desu", which in English means "I am lonely because I am unable to see you".
Another way round is to say the person's name and then add "ni ai tai (desu)". The desu can be omitted in informal situations. It basically means "I want to see *person's name". In the same vein, you can say the person's name and add "ga inakute, (watashi wa) sabishii (desu)" to say that when that person isn't there you are lonely. Again, "desu" can be omitted if informal and "watashi wa" can be because it's often implied.
As a result of this, the Japanese, and foreigners wishing to express certain sentiments, have to say things in a round-about way. It is most common to use the word "sabishii", meaning "I'm lonely" or "aitai" meaning "I want to see you".
As with all languages, there are different connotations with words. The word "Koishigaru" is to suggest you miss someone if they're your lover, whereas "samishiigaru" is for the rest. There are gender splits too. Men would use "Kimi ga inakute tottemo samishii yo", whilst women would use "Anata ga inakute tottemo samishii wa". If you were writing to someone, or speaking to them via the phone, you could say "Anata ga koishii", which means you long for or miss that person.
To almost spell out "I miss you" by forcing the separate wordings together you could say "wa ta shi, wa, a na ta, wo, o mo ttei ru" (______). This is a very broken translation though.
As earlier mentioned, it is most common to go roughly around the saying. You could say "sabishii desu" to mean "I miss you", or perhaps "anata ga inakute sabishii desu". This last one can also be said as "Anata ni aenakute sabishii desu", which in English means "I am lonely because I am unable to see you".
Another way round is to say the person's name and then add "ni ai tai (desu)". The desu can be omitted in informal situations. It basically means "I want to see *person's name". In the same vein, you can say the person's name and add "ga inakute, (watashi wa) sabishii (desu)" to say that when that person isn't there you are lonely. Again, "desu" can be omitted if informal and "watashi wa" can be because it's often implied.
