爱 ài — to love; affection; to be fond of; to like
我爱我的家人。Wǒ ài wǒ de jiā rén.I love my family.
Common words: 爱好 (ài hào)、可爱 (kě ài)、爱情 (ài qíng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to like"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to like", including 爱 (ài), 喜 (xǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to like" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 爱 (ài), 喜 (xǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ài, xǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 爱 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 爱 àito love; affection; to be fond of; to likeUseful words: 爱好, 可爱
- 喜 xǐto be fond of; to like; to enjoy; to be happy; to feel pleased; happinessUseful words: 喜欢, 喜爱
Common words for these 2 "to like" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 爱 (ài) — so "to like" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to like".
喜 xǐ — to be fond of; to like; to enjoy; to be happy; to feel pleased; happiness
听到这个好消息，全家人都很欢喜。Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, quán jiā rén dōu hěn huān xǐ.The whole family was delighted to hear this good news.
Common words: 喜欢 (xǐ huan)、喜爱 (xǐ ài)、惊喜 (jīng xǐ)
All 2 characters
Open 爱、喜 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.