恋

戀

liàn

亦 + 心

Definitions

liàn (verb) to love; to be romantically attached to

liàn (verb) to long for; to yearn for

Etymology

Simplified form of 戀. Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 䜌 represents the sound.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 亦

About

恋 is the simplified form of 戀, a phono-semantic compound. In the traditional character, the heart radical 心 at the bottom indicates an emotional or psychological meaning, while 䜌 above provides the sound and suggests entangled words. The simplified version replaces the complex phonetic with 亦, keeping the semantic heart unchanged. It denotes romantic love, deep affection, or intense yearning, and also describes a strong sentimental reluctance to part from a place, object, or situation.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢恋爱。

Wǒ xǐhuān liàn'ài.

I like being in love.

他暗恋着她。

Tā ànliàn zhe tā.

He is secretly in love with her.

我刚刚失恋。

Wǒ gānggāng shīliàn.

I just broke up.

她非常恋家。

Tā fēicháng liànjiā.

She is very homesick.

他们恋爱三年了。

Tāmen liàn'ài sān nián le.

They have been in love for three years.

我对故乡充满留恋。

Wǒ duì gùxiāng chōngmǎn liúliàn.

I am full of nostalgia for my hometown.

暗恋是一种甜蜜的痛苦。

Ànliàn shì yī zhǒng tiánmì de tòngkǔ.

Secret love is a sweet pain.

即使失恋了，也要相信爱情。

Jíshǐ shīliàn le, yě yào xiāngxìn àiqíng.

Even if you break up, you should still believe in love.

Related Characters

Component: 亦

Component: 心

恋