爱

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 爱 (ài) for "love" is composed of two parts: the radical 心 (xīn) for "heart" on the left, and the phonetic component 皃 (ài) on the right. The radical 心 indicates that 爱 is related to emotions and feelings, while the phonetic component 皃 provides a hint to its pronunciation.The original form of 爱 was 皃, which was a pictograph depicting a person with a heart-shaped face. This character was later simplified to 爱, which is the form we use today.The character 爱 has a rich history and has been used in Chinese literature for centuries. It is often used to express romantic love, but can also be used to express love for family, friends, or even country.In modern Chinese, 爱 is one of the most commonly used characters. It is used in a wide variety of contexts, from everyday conversation to formal writing.