Onyomi: アイ · Kunyomi: いと.しい, お.しむ, かな.しい, まな, め.でる · Meanings: affection, favourite, love
Kanji for affection, favourite, love
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愛 is formed from the elements 爫 (claw) on top, 冖 (cover) in the middle, and 心 (heart) at the bottom. The top parts suggest action or grasping, while the bottom 心 represents the heart or feelings. Together, they express the idea of holding or caring from the heart. From this, 愛 came to mean love, affection, or care.
愛 shows caring from the heart, meaning love, affection, or care.
愛 is used when expressing love or deep affection. Remember 愛 as holding or caring with your heart at the center.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 愛 | あい | love, affection, care | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Noun, used as a suffix |
| 愛 | まな | beloved, dear | Prefix |
| 美しい | うつくしい | beautiful, pretty, lovely, sweet, pure (heart, friendship, etc.) | common JLPT-N4 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 悲しい | かなしい | sad, miserable, unhappy, sorrowful | common JLPT-N4 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 愛する | あいする | to love | common JLPT-N3 Suru verb - special class, Transitive verb |
| 愛情 | あいじょう | love, affection | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 目出度い | めでたい | happy, auspicious, propitious, joyous | common JLPT-N2 JLPT-N1 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 愛想 | あいそ | amiability, friendliness, affability, sociability | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 惜しむ | おしむ | to spare, to grudge, to be sparing (with), to be frugal, to be stingy | common JLPT-N1 Godan verb with 'mu' ending, Transitive verb |
| 愛憎 | あいぞう | love and hate | JLPT-N1 Noun |