How do you say "love" in Japanese?

愛する

aisu ru

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "love" is 愛する (aisu ru).

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Pronunciation

Ai-su-ru, three syllables, 'ai' is a diphthong that sounds like the English word 'eye', not two separate letters.

Writing and usage

愛する is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

彼らは小さな犬を愛しています。

karera ha chiisa na inu wo itoshi teimasu.

They love their little dog.

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How to remember 愛する

Aisuru starts with 'ai', which looks like the English word for love's eye contact — you love with your eyes first.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 愛する

How do you pronounce 愛する?

Ai-su-ru, three syllables, 'ai' is a diphthong that sounds like the English word 'eye', not two separate letters.

Is 愛する formal or casual?

愛する is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 愛する written in Japanese?

愛する is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as aisu ru.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Love" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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