爱

愛
ài
HSK 1
#394 most
frequent character
to love, affection, to be fond of
verb
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

爱 has 友 friend as the meaning part, pointing to 'benevolent love'. The top part 愛 without 心 without 夊 is empty today; it was once 旡 jì, the sound part. From 'benevolent love' the meaning grew to 'benevolence', 'to love, like', and 'beloved'.

爱 as a component in other characters

sound4 characters
暧嗳嫒瑷

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

我爱我的家。
wǒ ài wǒde jiā 。
I love my family.
她非常爱小动物。
tā fēicháng ài xiǎo dòngwù 。
She really loves small animals.
爱是最重要的。
ài shì zuì zhòngyào de 。
Love is the most important.

Words with similar meanings

喜爱xǐài
to like
A more general term that conveys affection but is less intense than '爱'.
热爱rèài
to ardently love
Conveys a stronger, more passionate sense of love compared to '爱'.

Homophones

碍ài
to hinder, to obstruct, to block
艾ài
Chinese mugwort or wormwood, moxa

Words Starting With 爱

爱好ài hào
to like; to take pleasure in; keen on; fond of; interest; hobby; appetite for
爱情ài qíng
romance; love (romantic)
爱心ài xīn
compassion
爱惜ài xī
to cherish; to treasure; to use sparingly
爱护ài hù
to cherish; to treasure; to take care of; to love and protect

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.

Public Lists with 爱

Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Family & Relationships
Immediate and extended family terms, romantic relationships, friendships.