Back to dictionary
JLPT N313画 · 13 strokesradical 心grade 4freq #500

love, affection

On'yomi (音読み)

  • アイ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • あい

Mnemonic

As the heart (心) swells with a tender embrace, love (愛) envelops us like a warm, comforting blanket.

About this kanji

The kanji 「愛」 means love or affection. It's often used as a noun, like in the word 愛情 (あいじょう), which means affection, or as a verb in 愛する (あいする), meaning to love. Another common compound is 恋愛 (れんあい), which specifically refers to romantic love. You may notice that while this kanji conveys deep feelings, it is also used in various contexts like family love, friendship, and romantic relationships. A useful note is that the readings for the kanji can change depending on the compound, but the overall meaning of love remains constant.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 家族を愛している。

    I love my family.

Meanings across languages

English
love, affection
Tiếng Việt
tình yêu, tình cảm
日本語
愛, 愛情
한국어
사랑
中文
id
cinta
th
ความรัก
es
amor
fr
amour
de
Liebe
pt
amor

Common compounds

  • 愛情あいじょうaffection, love
  • 愛するあいするto love
  • 恋愛れんあいromantic love

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.