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 love"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to love", including 爱 (ài), 宠 (chǒng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to love" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 爱 (ài), 宠 (chǒng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ài, chǒng — 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
- 宠 chǒngto love; to pamper; to spoil; to favorUseful words: 宠物, 宠爱
Common words for these 2 "to love" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 爱 (ài) — so "to love" 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 love".
宠 chǒng — to love; to pamper; to spoil; to favor
这只小狗是他最喜爱的宠物。Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu shì tā zuì xǐ ài de chǒng wù.This little dog is his favorite pet.
Common words: 宠物 (chǒng wù)、宠爱 (chǒng ài)、得宠 (dé chǒng)
All 2 characters
Open 爱、宠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.