The aim of this study was to determine the salient beliefs of pre-service primary school teachers (PPSTs) about why they like or dislike physics and to explore whether these beliefs predict their teaching beliefs about physics. A total of 267 PPSTs (Male = 137, Female = 130) participated in the study. Qualitative data analyses were used and the data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire, the interview and classroom discussion. The results revealed that the majority of the PPSTs did not like physics. Fundamental salient beliefs of the PPSTs about why they disliked physics were their unsuccessfulness in solving physics problems and their previous teachers' teaching based on more memorization of physics formulas and rules. Moreover, the majority of the PPSTs indicated that they would use the teaching strategies that make students more active in learning in their professional teaching. In this regard, the salient beliefs particularly related to the PPSTs' past learning experiences based on more memorization of physics formulas and rules could enable them to believe in students' active involvement in learning.