恋

音読おんよみ: レン

訓読くんよみ: こい・こう

画数かくすう: 10

部首ぶしゅ: 心（こころ）

Meaning

Romance / Love / Longing

  • 恋こい — romantic love / longing
  • 恋人こいびと — boyfriend / girlfriend / romantic partner
  • 恋愛れんあい — romantic love / a love relationship
  • 初恋はつこい — first love
  • 失恋しつれん — heartbreak / broken romance

恋 uses the heart radical 心 at the bottom, showing emotion and desire. The top part gives the sound レン and adds the sense of yearning. In modern Japanese, 恋 is the “romantic” kind of love — wanting someone, missing someone. Compare 愛, which leans more toward deep affection and care.

人

恋人こいびと — literally “love + person.” In modern Japanese, 恋人 means a romantic partner, gender-neutral — closer to “significant other” than just “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” It sounds serious, not casual.

愛
Creates

恋愛れんあい — romantic love / a love relationship

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