Love in Japanese

Love in Japanese is 愛, romanised as ai and written in hiragana as あい. 愛 is broader than English love. It covers familial, platonic, romantic, and even abstract love. 恋 (koi) is the romantic, longing-focused counterpart, and the two combine to form 恋愛 (ren'ai), the standard word for a romantic relationship.

愛 means "love, affection" (13 strokes; on'yomi: ai; kun'yomi: ito(shii), mana, megu(mu)). Together the word reads as ai.

愛 (ai) is the standard form: 愛 is broader than English love. It covers familial, platonic, romantic, and even abstract love. 恋 (koi) is the romantic, longing-focused counterpart, and the two combine to form 恋愛 (ren'ai), the standard word for a romantic relationship.. 恋 (koi) is different — romantic love or infatuation, specifically the longing felt before a relationship deepens. Pick based on the exact nuance you want to convey.

愛 is the most widely used kanji for love and is instantly recognised across Japan and China. It works for family, romantic, and platonic love. For tattoos, ask the artist to use a kaisho (block) or gyousho (semi-cursive) reference, not a stylised English-display font. 愛 alone reads as a noun; if you want a romantic nuance, 恋 (koi) is more specific but narrower.

In hiragana, love is written as あい, which represents the sound ai. The kanji form 愛 is used in everyday writing; hiragana is used when the kanji is too difficult, for emphasis, or in children's text.