Ah, love! One of the greatest feelings on earth.
In English, ‘love’ encompasses varying degrees of liking, admiration, or passion for something or someone. Meanwhile, the Japanese language has many different words for ‘love’.
The most common Japanese words for ‘love’ are koi (恋 / こい) and ai (愛 / あい).
Love like koi can be exciting, while love like ai is heartfelt and deep. There are situations in which you can’t use ai unless you are sure that they’re ‘the one’.
Some words pertain to parental love, while others talk about passions and hobbies.
Love is understood universally, and these different words for love in Japanese will surely resonate with your feelings!
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Koi
恋
Romantic love
Koi (恋 / こい) is often interpreted as ‘romantic love’ or ‘passionate love’. Normally, it has a nuance of young love, or the kind of love that just began blossoming. Like a crush!
This word for love can be used to describe a longing for a specific person. Just like the beginning stages of a relationship, the type of love associated with koi is fresh, exciting, and romantic. You can say koi can be connected to ‘wanting’ someone or ‘wanting’ to be romantically involved with them.
Other words that include koi are:
- Hatsukoi (初恋 / はつこい) : first love
- Koibito (恋人 / こいびと) : lover/boyfriend/girlfriend
- Koi ni ochiru (恋に落ちる / こいにおちる) : to fall in love with
- Koishii (恋しい / こいしい): adjective describing something or somebody you are missing or longing for
Ai
愛
Deep love
While koi describes an exciting, passionate love, ai (愛 / あい) cultivates these feelings for a long time, and eventually, it all turns into deep, unconditional love. Ah, how sweet!
Ai is a strong word that isn’t meant to be thrown around carelessly. You don’t say ai shiteru to your crush, either (that’s koi)! This word is meant for feelings that developed over a long period of time. True and intimate love may be recognizable in long-term relationships.
While koi is connected to ‘wanting’, ai is more on ‘giving’. Deep love not only means you keep receiving love – you learn to care for your significant other in special ways both of you can appreciate. This can also apply to love shared between you and your pets and close friends.
There is no single word in the English language that can sum up the beautiful meaning behind ai. Because unlike ‘love’, ai sounds much more tender and intimate.
Other words that include ai are:
- Boseiai (母性愛 / ぼせいあい) : mother’s love
- Hakuai (博愛 / はくあい) : philanthropy
- Koibumi (恋文 / こいぶみ) : love letter
Aijou
愛情
Love, affection
Aijou (愛情 / あいじょう) refers to the type of love you give for someone or something. A good example is the affection that parents give to their children. It puts a lot of emphasis on caring and affection, just like familial or parental love.
The word aijou consists of the kanji for ‘love’ (愛) and ’feelings’ or ‘passion’ (情).
Aikou
愛好
Love, adoration
If you have a keen eye, or are familiar with kanji, you can see that aikou (愛好 / あいこう) is made up of the kanji for ‘love’ and ‘like’! Aikou is typically used when describing fondness for a hobby. If you’re a big fan of something, then this is the word for love you can use.
In fact, the word aikouka (愛好家 / あいこうか) means ‘enthusiast’, ‘fan,’ or ‘aficionado’. A fan of music would be called ongaku aikouka (音楽愛好家), while a mystery novel enthusiast is a suirishousetsu aikouka (推理小説愛好家).
Renai
恋愛
Romance
The word renai (恋愛 / れんあい) encompasses a broad sense of love. It refers to ‘romance’ and romantic love, or simply ‘falling in love’. Look closely – it’s composed of the kanji koi and ai!
A dictionary entry for renai will give us a lot of meanings: ‘love’, ‘passion’, ‘emotion’, and so on. It’s best to sum this up as ‘romance’. However, this word sounds less romantic than others and is mostly used in objective situations, like in articles or books about love. When used in a casual situation, it sounds a bit neutral compared to koi or ai.
Rabu
ラブ
Love
The word rabu (ラブ) is borrowed from the English language. It is used more light-heartedly than koi or ai and doesn’t represent a serious feeling of love.
Raburabu (ラブラブ) is a colloquial word meaning ‘lovey-dovey’ or the feeling of being head-over-heels in love. Other words that include rabu are:
- Raburetaa (ラブレター) : love letter
- Rabu sutorii (ラブストーリー) : love story
- Rabu kome (ラブコメ) : romantic-comedy/rom-com
Suki
好き
Like, love
You’ll hear this word a lot in anime and romantic drama, especially in scenes where a character confesses their love for someone! Suki (好き / すき) means ‘liking’ or ‘loving’ someone. It’s not limited to people! You can use suki to express liking your favorite food, movie, or sport.
Another variant you can use is the word daisuki (大好き / だいすき) which means ‘like very much’. This can also mean ‘I love you’! Couples eventually use daisuki when they have been dating for a while.
Omoi
想い
Feelings, love
Last, but not the least, omoi (想い / おもい) is usually heard in love songs. But if its usual translation is ‘thought’, then how is it related to love? The standard way to write this word is 思い but another form, written as 想い implies that a certain thought involves a lot of emotion or feelings.
Upon closer examination, you will notice that all forms of omoi (思い / 想い / 念い) include the radical for ‘heart’ (心).
Other words related to love that use omoi are:
- Kataomoi (片想い / かたおもい) : unrequited love
- Ryouomoi (両想い / りょうおもい) : mutual love
- Omoibito (想い人 / おもいびと) : sweetheart
And those are eight Japanese words for love! Remember that in Japanese culture, actions speak louder than words, but that does not diminish the value of saying ‘I love you’ to your cherished ones. Check out these sweet ways to say ‘I love you’ in Japanese!
Related posts:
- How to Say Girlfriend in Japanese
- How to Say Boyfriend in Japanese
- 9+ Stunning Japanese Words For ‘Beautiful’
- How to Say I Miss You in Japanese
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Thea is a freelance content writer, currently majoring in Japanese studies. She likes to create art and draws inspiration from film and music. Thea was inspired to study Japanese language and culture by reading the literary works of Haruki Murakami and Edogawa Ranpo.