爱
to love; love
ài
What does 爱 mean?
爱 (ài) is the Chinese verb 'to love' — and also a noun meaning 'love.' The most important thing for English speakers to know is that 爱 is weightier than English 'love.' English uses 'love' loosely ('I love pizza,' 'love this song'), but Chinese reserves 爱 for deep, serious attachment: family, country, lifelong partners, abstract ideals. For ordinary affection toward food, music, hobbies, or even a new boyfriend or girlfriend, native speakers use 喜欢 (xǐhuān, 'to like'). Saying 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) in Chinese is a heavy, sincere statement — not a casual sign-off like English 'love you, bye.' 爱 also forms many compounds (爱情 romantic love, 爱人 spouse, 可爱 cute / lovable), where it carries the same serious-affection sense.
Note: Much heavier in Chinese than English 'love.' Chinese speakers rarely say 我爱你 to family or partners casually; 喜欢 (xǐhuān) does most of the work English 'love' does for hobbies, food, and even early-stage romance.
Character breakdown
to love; affection (simplified from 愛, which contains 心 'heart' in the traditional form)
Memory hook: The traditional form 愛 has 心 (heart) inside it — love comes from the heart. The simplified 爱 dropped the heart, but the meaning stayed.
Example sentences
我爱你。
Wǒ ài nǐ.
I love you.
neutral
他很爱他的家人。
Tā hěn ài tā de jiārén.
He loves his family very much.
neutral
这只小狗真可爱！
Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu zhēn kě'ài!
This puppy is so cute!
spoken
我的爱好是听音乐。
Wǒ de àihào shì tīng yīnyuè.
My hobby is listening to music.
neutral
Common phrases with 爱
Synonyms
喜欢 is 'to like' — much lighter and more common. Use 喜欢 for food, music, hobbies, and even early dating. Save 爱 for deep, serious love (family, long-term partner, country).
热爱 means 'to love passionately / be devoted to' — usually for activities, work, or ideals (热爱学习, 热爱祖国). More intense and formal than 爱 alone.
Don't confuse 爱 with
Beginners often translate English 'love' directly as 爱, which sounds intense or awkward. For 'I love this movie' or 'I love my dog,' native speakers usually say 我很喜欢. 爱 is reserved for serious, deep love.
爱好 is a noun meaning 'hobby.' Don't confuse it with the verb 爱. 我的爱好是看书 ('my hobby is reading'), not 我爱看书 ('I love reading') — both are correct but mean different things.