loved one; lover; sweetheart
A somewhat poetic or literary term for a person one loves or has deep feelings for; less common in casual conversation than 恋人.
彼女は遠く離れた想い人に手紙を書いた。
She wrote a letter to her faraway loved one.
彼は幼い頃からの想い人と結婚した。
He married the sweetheart he had loved since childhood.
Common kanji spelling; 想い carries a nuance of deep feeling or longing.
Alternate kanji spelling using 思い, which is more general for thoughts and feelings.
Compound of 想い (omoi, 'thoughts, feelings, love') and 人 (hito, 'person'), with rendaku voicing of 人 to びと. The kanji 想い specifically suggests deep emotion or longing.