nattou to umebosi ha konomi ga wakaremasu ga, watasi ha dotira mo suki desu.

と connects nouns and means and here.

So 納豆と梅干し means natto and pickled plums.

This と is specifically for listing items. It is more definite than something like や, which would mean things like A and B.

The は marks 納豆と梅干し as the topic of the sentence.

So the sentence is structured like:

• As for natto and umeboshi, ...
• ... tastes are divided, but I like both.

Japanese often sets up a topic first and then comments on it. Here, the speaker is saying, when it comes to natto and umeboshi...

Literally, 好み means preferences or taste, and 分かれます means split or divide.

So 好みが分かれます literally means something like:

• preferences split
• people's tastes are divided

In natural English, this often becomes opinions are divided, they are polarizing, or people either like them or dislike them.

No. They are different words, even though they sound similar.

• 分かる（わかる） = to understand
• 分かれる（わかれる） = to split / be divided

Here it is 分かれる, not 分かる.

So 好みが分かれます does not mean preferences understand anything; it means preferences are divided.

In 好みが分かれます, が marks 好み as the grammatical subject of 分かれます.

The idea is:

• 好み = preferences/tastes
• が分かれます = split / are divided

So the thing that is doing the splitting grammatically is 好み.

Even though 納豆と梅干しは is the topic, the inner subject of the statement is still 好み.

This が is a different use of が. Here it means but or although.

So:

• 好みが分かれますが = tastes are divided, but...

Japanese often uses が to connect two clauses in a softer way than a strong English but. It can sound smoother and less blunt.

So in this sentence, the speaker says: These foods divide opinion, but I like both.

Yes, 私 could be omitted if the context already makes it clear who is speaking.

For example, どちらも好きです by itself can already mean I like both.

But 私は is included here for contrast: As for me, I like both.

That fits well after ...but..., because the speaker is contrasting their own opinion with the general situation.

By itself, どちら means which one or which of the two.

When you add も, it changes the meaning to both.

So:

• どちら = which of the two?
• どちらも = both

This works because the sentence is talking about exactly two things: 納豆 and 梅干し.

Both are possible, but どちらも fits very naturally when talking about two specific options.

• どちらも好きです = I like both
• 両方好きです / 両方とも好きです = I like both as well

The nuance is small here. どちらも feels closely tied to a two-way choice, while 両方 simply means both. In this sentence, either would sound natural.

In Japanese, 好き is not a normal verb. It is a na-adjective / adjectival noun meaning liked or pleasant.

So どちらも好きです literally works more like: both are liked (by me)

That is why Japanese does not always match English grammar word-for-word here. English uses the verb like, but Japanese often uses 好き.

The も is doing the particle job here.

You can think of どちらも as a set phrase meaning both of them too / both of them. The object marker that might appear in other sentences is not needed separately here.

So 私はどちらも好きです is perfectly natural and means: I like both.

Yes. どっち is a more casual version of どちら.

So:

• どちらも好きです = more neutral/polite
• どっちも好きです = more casual

Since this sentence uses polite です/ます style, どちらも matches the tone better.

No. Standard Japanese is usually written without spaces between words.

So the sentence would normally appear as:

納豆と梅干しは好みが分かれますが、私はどちらも好きです。

Spaces are often added in teaching materials to make the structure easier for learners to see.