Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 恋こい に 悩なや む to be troubled by love
She has been troubled by love for a long time.
恋こい を 打う ち 明あ ける to confess one's romantic feelings
I couldn't work up the courage to confess my love to him.
恋こい が 始はじ まる for a romance to begin
Their romance began that summer.
恋こい を 諦あきら める to give up on a love
He finally gave up on his love for her.
恋こい に 憧あこが れる to yearn for romance
As a teenager, I longed for romance.
Kanji 恋 romance, in love, yearn for 戀 in love, yearn for, miss Related words· 7 恋 is passionate, romantic longing for a specific person, while 愛 is the broader concept of love that can include family, friends, or humanity in general.
恋愛 is the more formal, abstract compound noun for romantic love or a love affair, while 恋 is the plainer, more emotionally charged word for the feeling itself.
恋 is the general word for romantic love as a whole, while 恋心 highlights the inner feeling or sentiment of that love.
恋 specifically means romantic longing or infatuation, whereas ラブ is a broader, casual loanword that can cover any kind of love, romantic or otherwise.
Show 3 more Show fewer 恋 is a native Japanese word expressing deep emotional longing, whereas ロマンス evokes a more exciting, narrative-style romantic affair.
恋 is a simple, common word for romantic feelings without any implication of purity, unlike 純愛 which specifically highlights selfless, desire-free love.
恋 refers specifically to romantic, often longing love, while 愛情 is broader and can describe familial or caring love as well as romance.
Don't confuse with 恋 (こい , romantic love) is a homophone of 鯉 (こい , carp) but the two share no meaning or kanji connection.
恋 (romantic love, a noun) sounds identical to 濃い (an adjective meaning dark/strong), so listeners must rely on context to tell them apart.
Word family· 43 lover; sweetheart; boyfriend; girlfriend
fall in love (with); love
first love; puppy love
missed; longed for; dear and absent
feelings of love; romantic feelings
Show 17 more Show fewer mutual love; being in love with each other
love song; love poem
sensual love; love affair
love letter
rival in love
romance; love's pathway
unrequited love; one-sided love
burial mound for a person who died for love
loving wife; beloved wife
tears of love
oceans of love; deep love
looking for love; searching for a romantic partner
cat in heat; cat in season
lovesickness
lovesickness
garb of love; love as clothing
love's zephyr; wind of love
See all 43 in Explore →
Written forms 恋こい Usage 99%
Standard modern kanji spelling.
こい Usage 1%
戀こい Usage <1%
out-dated kanji form
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern Japanese.
Etymology The kanji 恋 is composed of 心 (heart) and 亦 (also), suggesting a heart drawn to another. The reading こい is of native Japanese origin, with the exact derivation uncertain.
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