恋 (こい, koi) Japanese meaning: romantic love

恋 (こい, koi) Japanese meaning: romantic love | Kotomora

Kanji

恋romance, in love, yearn for
戀in love, yearn for, miss

Related words· 7

愛あいN3
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.
恋れん愛あいN2
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.
恋こい心ごころ
恋 is the general word for romantic love as a whole, while 恋心 highlights the inner feeling or sentiment of that love.
ラブ
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

ロマンス
恋 is a native Japanese word expressing deep emotional longing, whereas ロマンス evokes a more exciting, narrative-style romantic affair.
純じゅん愛あい
恋 is a simple, common word for romantic feelings without any implication of purity, unlike 純愛 which specifically highlights selfless, desire-free love.
愛あい情じょうN3
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

鯉こいN1
恋 (こい, romantic love) is a homophone of 鯉 (こい, carp) but the two share no meaning or kanji connection.
濃こいN4
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

恋こい人びとN3
lover; sweetheart; boyfriend; girlfriend
恋こいするN1
fall in love (with); love
初はつ恋こいN1
first love; puppy love
恋こいしいN2

Written forms

恋こいUsage99%
Standard modern kanji spelling.
こいUsage1%
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Outdated kanji form; not used in modern Japanese.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.

恋こい

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions· 13