Chinese character for love: 爱 (ài)
The Chinese character for love is 爱 (ài). It means love or to love, and is used for romantic love, family love and liking things, as in 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ, I love you).
How 爱 is built
In the simplified form 爱, the top 爫 is a hand or claw, 冖 is a cover or roof, and the bottom is 友 (yǒu, friend). As a memory aid, picture a hand placing a cover over a friend to protect them. The traditional form 愛 keeps 心 (xīn, heart) in the middle, which the simplified form replaced with 友, so many tattoo seekers prefer 愛 because it literally holds a heart. Both forms are read ài and mean exactly the same thing.
爱 ài · love
- 爫zhǎo — claws
- 冖mì — cover
- 友yǒu — friend
- 又yòu — and
Origin hint: To bring a friend 友 into one's house 冖 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 爱 is used
Other ways to say love
- 恋 liàn — romantic love, being in love; used mostly in words like 恋爱
- 情 qíng — feeling, affection; used in 爱情 and 感情
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: Many people choose the traditional 愛 because it contains 心 (heart); whichever form you pick, have a native speaker check the final artwork.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for love?
爱 (ài) means “love”. In traditional characters it is written 愛.
How do you pronounce 爱?
爱 is pronounced ài.
Is 爱 simplified or traditional?
爱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore; 愛 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.