Armenian love songs: Sayat-Nova, Aznavour, St. Sarkis Day and the words for I love you
Armenian has a lot of love songs: the bard Sayat-Nova's 18th-century verses, folk songs Komitas wrote down, the French chansons of a son of Armenian immigrants, and the slow songs DJs still play at weddings. Here is how to say it, when Armenians celebrate it, and the recordings to start with.
By The Armenly team. Written October 31, 2026.
- About The Armenly team — The people who build and check the Armenly catalog of Armenian music.
Key findings
- "I love you" in Armenian is ես քեզ սիրում եմ, romanized es k'ez sirum em [1]. Song titles spell it many ways: "Sirum em qez," "Yes sirum em kez," "Qez sirum em."
- Sayat-Nova (1712–1795), the Armenian poet, musician and traveling bard, has about 220 songs attributed to him, mostly secular and full of romantic expressionism [3].
- St. Sarkis is the Armenian Church's patron saint of love and youth. His feast falls in late January or early February, and on its eve young people eat salty bread hoping to dream of their future bride or groom [2].
- The most played love song in the Armenly catalog is Charles Aznavour's "She," with about 94 million Spotify plays (catalog of September 17, 2026).
How to say "I love you" in Armenian
It is ես քեզ սիրում եմ, romanized es k'ez sirum em, from the verb sirel, "to like" or "to love" [1]. Song titles spell and order it in many ways. These are the ones played most on Armenly, by Spotify plays as recorded in the catalog on September 17, 2026.
- Sirum em qez — Arkadi Dumikyan — about 771,000 plays
- Sirum Em Qez — Reincarnation — about 733,000 plays
- Yes Sirum Em Kez — Aram Asatryan — about 315,000 plays
- Qez Sirum Em/Forever — Harout Balyan, Chioma — about 289,000 plays
- Sirum Em — Kami Friends, Vigen Hovsepyan — about 274,000 plays
Sayat-Nova, the bard of love
Sayat-Nova was born Harutyun Sayatyan on June 14, 1712, served at a royal court, lost his place there, and spent the rest of his life as a traveling ashugh, a bard. About 220 songs are attributed to him, mostly secular and full of romantic expressionism, in more than one language. Sergei Parajanov's 1969 film about him was released in the United States as The Color of Pomegranates [3].
Duduk players, folk ensembles and classical pianists all keep recording him. "Kani vor jan im" is translated by its recording as "As long as I am alive."
- Ashkharhums Imn Dun Is (Remake of Sayat Nova) — Reincarnation — about 624,000 plays
- Sayat Nova — Djivan Gasparyan — on duduk, about 525,000 plays
- Elegy (on a song by Sayat-Nova) — Arno Babadjanian, Jean-Paul Gasparian — on piano
- Sayat-Nova: his life and songs — the full guide
- Kamancha — Ara Dinkjian — about 59,000 plays
- Kani vor jan im - As long as I am alive — Shoghaken Folk Ensemble — the folk ensemble version
Folk love songs
Many of the love songs Armenians sing at the table are folk songs, some of them written down by Komitas. "Es gisher, lusnak gisher" is the one he set as "This Night, the Moonlit Night," and "Chinar es" ("You are a plane tree") has its own story in the Komitas guide.
- Es gisher, lusnak gisher — Gevorg Dabagian — on duduk, about 666,000 plays
- Ari Ari Im Sirelis — Paul Baghdadlian — about 330,000 plays
- Sari Aghjik — Garik & Sona — about 215,000 plays
- Komitas: the songs he saved
Charles Aznavour
The best-known Armenian love singer sang in French. Charles Aznavour was born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian in Paris on May 22, 1924, to Armenian immigrant parents, and he sang often about love. His English-language "She" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1974 and stayed there four weeks [4].
- She — Charles Aznavour — about 94 million plays
- Toi et moi — Charles Aznavour — about 5.4 million plays
- Quand on s'aime — Charles Aznavour, Dalida — a duet with Dalida
Modern love songs
These are the newer Armenian love songs played most on Armenly, from pop singers to a jazz pianist.
- Sirelis — Sergey Zeynalyan — about 769,000 plays
- Sirelis — HOVO — about 579,000 plays
- Es U Du — Tata Simonyan — about 390,000 plays
- Siro Avetis — Tata Simonyan — about 336,000 plays
- Erotas — Sirusho — about 322,000 plays
- Im Yar — HOVO, Spitakci Hayko — about 314,000 plays
- To Love — Tigran Hamasyan — on piano, about 1.1 million plays
St. Sarkis Day, the Armenian day of love
The Armenian Church's feast of St. Sarkis, patron saint of love and youth, moves with the calendar and falls in late January or early February. On its eve, young people eat salty bread before bed, hoping to dream of the one they will marry [2].
- Armenian love songs — the Slow Dance shelf
- Armenian wedding songs — for the first dance
Questions people ask
How do you say "I love you" in Armenian?
Ես քեզ սիրում եմ, romanized es k'ez sirum em. In speech and in song titles it is often "sirum em qez" or "yes kez sirum em."
Who wrote the most famous Armenian love songs?
The 18th-century bard Sayat-Nova, who has about 220 songs attributed to him, many of them love songs. In the 20th century, Charles Aznavour, a son of Armenian immigrants, sang love songs in French.
Is there an Armenian Valentine's Day?
St. Sarkis Day, the feast of the Armenian Church's patron saint of love and youth, in late January or early February. Young people eat salty bread on its eve to dream of their future bride or groom.
What is the most played Armenian love song?
In the Armenly catalog it is Charles Aznavour's "She," with about 94 million Spotify plays (catalog of September 17, 2026).
Sources
- [1] սիրել — Wiktionary, read October 31, 2026
- [2] St. Sarkis Day, a celebration with recipes — The Armenian Kitchen, read October 31, 2026
- [3] Sayat-Nova — Wikipedia, read October 31, 2026
- [4] Charles Aznavour — Wikipedia, read October 31, 2026
Cite this page
The Armenly team, "Armenian love songs: Sayat-Nova, Aznavour, St. Sarkis Day and the words for I love you." Armenly, October 31, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/armenian-love-songs
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