Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
2 senses · 4 wordsLove and affection
Cherish; be lovable
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 愛 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Source record & scope
Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property
アイ エ おしむ めでる いとしい かなしいKorean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 애
- KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Not recorded for this exact character in this dataset. This does not mean the language has no reading.
Form & structure
Structure & components
4 direct parts- Layout
- complex
- Index radical
- 心 · 61 · 9 residual strokes
These labels describe convenient visible regions of the modern character. 心 is visible in the middle. The other shape labels should not be treated as four independent words whose meanings combine to explain the origin. The lower component is labeled 夊 following Taiwan’s Ministry of Education description; regional glyph conventions may differ.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
A boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
13 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences她很愛自己的家人。
她很爱自己的家人。
She loves her family very much.
請愛護這裡的花草。
请爱护这里的花草。
Please take care of the plants here.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsThe earlier 㤅 form
CUHK identifies a bronze form 㤅 with 心 and a phonetic 兂. It connects that form with benevolent affection and describes lower foot-like strokes being added in later writing.
Keep dictionary analyses attributed
The entry distinguishes the Shuowen’s treatment of 㤅 from its analysis of 愛. That historical dictionary perspective is valuable evidence for interpretation, but does not justify a modern “hand, roof, heart, walking” story.
Reading this character · explanatory note
愛 expresses love or fondness, and its compounds distinguish different kinds of affection and care. 愛情 / 爱情 is romantic love, 愛心 / 爱心 emphasizes compassion, and 愛護 / 爱护 means to cherish and protect. The visible 心 makes the traditional form memorable, but the complete history is not a sentence assembled from its present-day parts. CUHK connects it with an earlier 㤅 form and discusses a phonetic element as well as later added strokes. Simplified 爱 serves the same ordinary words. A spelling’s treatment of 心 is not evidence about the feelings or values of its readers.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
愛 corresponds to simplified 爱 for the modern senses shown. The simplified form lacks a separately visible 心; it does not acquire a different emotional meaning. When discussing historical structure, follow the evidence for 愛 and 㤅 rather than assigning a moral meaning to a spelling change.
受 shares some upper shapes with 愛 but is a different character, commonly meaning to receive or undergo. Similar outlines do not establish the same sound or history.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- 'ojH · 烏代 反切 · #2534
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 14362 · 'ojH = 蟹開一去咍影
Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗
Sources & reference
Sources & research
5 sourcesLocator & rights
Character entry; 形義通解, 繁簡對應, and cited Shuowen discussion where present · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
A01404, 字樣說明 · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 2 items
- CUHK’s account has been consulted, but the historical scholarship it cites has not yet been checked independently.
- The dated history of abbreviated 爱 forms is not established in this dossier.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- ài 42323.010
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- ài 0004.111
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- ài(1137)