Sentence #887853 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted
How 恋爱 is built
Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
恋liànto feel attached to
亦also · yìSound part
心heart · xīnMeaning part
心 hints at the meaning (heart); 亦 (yì) hints at the sound. Compare it with liàn.
爱àito love; to be fond of; to like
爫claw form of 爪 · zhǎo
冖cover · mì
友friend · yǒu
Memory aidA hand 爫 bringing a friend 友 under a cover 冖: love.
How to write 恋爱
恋 10 strokes · 爱 10 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 恋爱 (liàn'ài). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
恋爱 (liàn’ài) means “romantic love” or “to be in love”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it liàn’ài: liàn with a 4th tone, then ài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 恋爱 is written 戀愛. The pronunciation is the same.
Use 个 (gè) or 场 (chǎng). For example, one romantic love is 一个恋爱 (yí ge liàn'ài).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type lianai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 恋爱 from the suggestions. Typing lianai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
恋爱 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
Turn words into conversations
A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.
Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.
恋liàn4th tone, falling
