# 愛 — love; affection

愛 means “love; affection”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 13 strokes. On'yomi: アイ (ai). Kun'yomi: いと(しい) (itoshii), まな (mana). You'll see it in words such as 愛 (ai, “love; affection”).

- Meaning: love; affection
- On'yomi: アイ (ai)
- Kun'yomi: いと(しい) (itoshii), まな (mana)
- Strokes: 13
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Feelings 1

## How to remember 愛

Parts: 爫 claw · 冖 cover · 心 heart · 夂 dragging feet

## Words with 愛

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 愛 | あい (ai) | love; affection |
| 愛する | あいする (aisuru) | to love |
| 愛しい | いとしい (itoshii) | lovely; dear |

## Don't confuse it with

[慶](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/joyous-occasion/)

## More in the “Feelings 1” set

[愛](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/love/) · [喜](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/rejoice/) · [困](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/be-troubled/) · [恐](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/fear/) · [願](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/wish/) · [希](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/aspire/) · [欲](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/desire/) · [笑](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/laugh/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/love/. Last updated 2026-11-01.