What Does It Mean When Someone Says They Kinda Like You? 10 Reasons We Know!

When someone says they like you, it means they have seen some values in you that certain aspects of their lives would want to align with. However, they want to process it to be on the safer side.

If you have ever wondered what it means when someone says they kinda like you, or a mutual friend tells you of a certain person that said he kinda likes you, then know for sure that you’re in for many possibilities.

It can be erroneous to jump on one of the many possibilities and take it as the only one there could be. There are different circumstances under which a person can like you; for friendship, romantic relationship, or as a work colleague they find cool to work with.

Another reason why this is ambiguous is that this could come from a person of your gender or the opposite gender.

And the condition under which a person tells you this will determine how better you can accurately unravel the true meaning there is.

Here, we have 10 reasons why this can be a thing.

For Friendship
For business
For romantic relationship
For companionship
To not come off as though he’s rushing things
He has a fragile ego
He is nervous
He finds you hot but doesn’t want a relationship
A check for your gender
They like your person

Table of Contents

1. For Friendship

Friendship is a process. It doesn’t just happen spontaneously. Firstly, it starts off as two strangers, then it progresses to an acquaintance before it matures into friendship.

A person who doesn’t like you in the first place wouldn’t create or give a chance to a ground where you can know each other more than the “strangers level.”

So, when people say they kinda like you, they mean they want to get to know you more. This is probably because you’ve given off some vibes they find interesting, or because they find you witty enough to want to have you in their circle.

But because they don’t want to live off just the little they have known about you, they are not precisely sure to say they exactly like you. They are giving room to the tendencies of eventualities.

They want to process and access you furtherly. This case is common among people of the same gender. Friendship evolves through stages.

Although an exception is the case of instant chemistry, then, most friendships do not happen like spontaneous chemical reactions that occur suddenly.

2. For business

True businesspersons are always on the lookout for other possibilities. They would want to acquaint themselves with people who they perceive to have business values.

They lookout for other values that are not exactly in their business line, but when strategically utilized, can be profitable to businesses too. If you have a track record of high integrity and trustworthiness, you can get a businessperson saying they kinda like you.

Other times, they want you to be business partners in some business areas. For instance, they have seen possibilities where some of the values you exude can be used to promote business success that either of you wouldn’t have individually achieved.

For instance, a wise software engineer who’s not very knowledgeable in marketing and advertising areas would want to partner with a person who is. This will enhance business success.

So, if you have good industry knowledge, a flexible thought process, and trustworthiness, do not be shocked when any business person says they kinda like you.

3. For a romantic relationship

In this case, there are three possibilities. The person could be shy. Shy guys are often inexpressive of their emotions.

When they try, they often stutter or use unspecific phrases like this that keep them on the fence instead of hitting the nail on the head.

Another possibility is if this is coming from a lady. Ladies are often of the conventional opinion that a guy should be the one to ask them out.

This is so that they do not come off too cheap or desperate as this may heighten their susceptibility of being used.

So, their defense mechanism is often the “I kinda like you” or other phrases of its like that leave the guy with the responsibility of asking them out (properly) if he’s into them.

Another possibility for this comes from being unsure of one’s own feelings and not deciding.

Not many people are big on making decisions, hence they tell you they kinda like you because they don’t want to make any outright pronouncement and be held accountable or stay committed to it.

4. For companionship

A person can say they kinda like you because they just want companionship and not necessarily anything other than that.

But because they don’t want to come off as though they are nursing romantic feelings for you, they have to put it this way.

These are people who just want to prevent social isolation and want to keep their minds active, and you seem to be just right for it.

A person could be recovering from a heartbreak, and because they’re careful enough to not jump into another relationship, and while they are at this, they still want some good and homely company.

5. To not come off as though he’s rushing things

This is a common case specifically between a guy and a girl. Some guys are not actually shy or indecisive when they say they kinda like you.

They’re simply being careful because they know the circuitry of the female mind, more often than not, functions in a way that gets them losing interest in any guy that appears to rush them into things.

And this is regardless of whether or not they have feelings for the said person in the first place.

6. He has a fragile ego

A guy can say he kinda likes you, not because he’s not sure that he exactly does, it’s because he has a pretty fragile ego and he’s trying to soften the ground just in case your response to him comes on the negative.

This way, he can easily pull out and say he wasn’t exactly into you. It’s the kind of thing that men do. It’s more of a psychological defense mechanism they use to shield themselves from possible embarrassment and shame.

So, the next time a guy that has had a track record of unhealthy pride and ego tells you this, then know what it is.

7. He is nervous

Nervousness comes from perceived or imagined embarrassment or failure at something. This is one of the common reasons a man can tell a lady that he kinda likes her because he has a mental picture of the possibility of her turning him down.

Often, he stutters. Then he says these words as if muttering to himself, inaudibly, and waits for the response that should determine his next line of action. Men usually call this a “safe opening.”

Nervousness has proven time and time again to be the reason why people often say or do things that keep them on the fence. This way, they can have safe landings on either of the paths as would be decided by the response they get afterward.

8. He finds you hit but doesn’t want a relationship with you

When a man outrightly tells a lady he likes her, this simply interprets that he wants a relationship with her. Men know this.

This is the reason men often tell ladies they simply find appealing, whom they wouldn’t want anything serious with, that they kinda like them.

No, they do not want a relationship, they are mostly in for flings. When this phrase is used, ladies that have been in the game usually get it.

9. A check for gender

When people say they kinda like you, it can be a means to ascertain your gender. This line has often been used by those who have intimate relationship with the same gender to know whether or not a person they find attractive is straight.

Most people who have intimate relationship with the same gender do not feel safe directly asking a person out.

This serves as a means to be on a safer end, just in case the person asked out flares up in anger, they could play mind games and claim that wasn’t their intent.

10. They like your person

There are people who can develop a kind of liking towards you without any strings attached. And this is regardless of gender.

In this case, it could be your physique, voice, diction, accent, etc. Sometimes, they cannot exactly figure it out.

This is usually pretty difficult to explain, so they usually use the “I kinda like you” line, because nothing better explains what they feel at that time.

This line is quite ambiguous and could suffice for many reasons. It is the context in which it is used that gives life and meaning to it.