片かた思おもい

か

た

お

も

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

unrequited love; one-sided love

Refers to loving someone who does not return the feeling. Often used in romantic contexts, but can apply to any one-sided affection.

彼かの女じょは高こう校こう時じ代だい、ずっと片かた思おもいをして

い

た

。

She had an unrequited love all through high school.

片かた思おもいの相あい手てに告こく白はくするのは勇ゆう気きがいる。

It takes courage to confess to the person you have a one-sided crush on.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉に片かた思おもいするto have unrequited feelings for someone
彼かの女じょはクラスメートに片かた思おもいしている。
She has an unrequited crush on her classmate.
片かた思おもいの相あい手てthe person one has unrequited feelings for
片かた思おもいの相あい手てに告こく白はくする勇ゆう気きが出でなかった。
I couldn't muster the courage to confess to the person I secretly liked.
片かた思おもいが続つづくfor one-sided love to continue
もう三さん年ねんも片かた思おもいが続つづいている。
My unrequited love has been going on for three years now.
片かた思おもいに終おわるto end up as unrequited love
彼かれへの気き持もちは片かた思おもいに終おわった。
My feelings for him ended up going nowhere.

Expressions

鮑あわびの片かた思おもいsecret unrequited love
鮑あわびの貝かいの片かた思おもいsecret, unrequited love

Kanji

片one-sided, leaf, sheet
思think
想idea, thought, conception

Related words

片かた恋こい
片恋 is a more literary or poetic way to say the same thing as 片思い, but it is much less common in everyday speech.
失しつ恋れんN2
片思い describes an unreturned crush before any rejection happens, while 失恋 describes the painful outcome after love has failed or ended.
悲ひ恋れん
片思い means one-sided love that may or may not end badly, whereas 悲恋 specifically implies a love story with a sad or tragic outcome.

Opposites

両りょう思おもい
片思い is love felt by only one person, while 両思い describes mutual love that both people share.

Don't confuse with

初はつ恋こいN1
片思い means unrequited love (feelings not returned), whereas 初恋 just means one's first love, which may or may not be reciprocated.

Counted with

回かいN4
片思い is counted with 回 when referring to separate episodes or instances of one-sided love, as in 片思いを二回した.

Built from

片かた+思おもう

Written forms

片かた思おもいUsage76%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
片かた想おもいUsage24%
Variant spelling using 想い, which emphasizes feelings or thoughts; also common.

Etymology

Compound of 片 (kata, 'one side') and 思い (omoi, 'thought, feeling, love'). The spelling 片想い uses 想い, which carries a nuance of deep emotion or longing.