How to Write Love in Japanese
Know the different types of love., Know how "好き" is used., Know how "愛" is used., Know how "恋" is used., Know the Japanese alphabets., Know basic stroke order.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the different types of love.
In Japanese, due to the varying ways of saying certain things based on politeness and the weight some words can carry, it's important to know what the different types of love are.
The three most commonly used are 好き (suki), 愛 (ai), and 恋 (koi). , Suki is the most common way of expressing love, although when translated to English, it would be closer to the definition of "like" than "love".
However, it is often used as an expression of love, and saying "daisuke" (大好き) is a way of saying you really like someone. , Ai is commonly heard when translating "love" to Japanese, but it's actually rarely used.
It is meant as a very strong expression of love; saying "愛してる" (ai shiteru) is reserved for people you truly love, such as a very close partner. , Koi is used when referring to love in third person, and as such, is not used as an expression of affection towards the person you're speaking to.
It's not very commonly seen in expressions of affection as a result. , When children and non-native Japanese speakers are learning how to write in Japanese, they initially start with learning hiragana, which are simple characters commonly used in Japanese writing.
Katakana is another basic alphabet, but it is reserved for foreign words, such as names.
Kanji are the characters derived from Chinese, which are much more complex to write than hiragana, but are sometimes used to help clarify the context of a sentence when reading. , Whether you're going to be writing in hiragana or kanji, you'll need to learn how to write properly, as writing with the wrong stroke order can make it look like your sentence says something else entirely.
Stroke order typically sticks to two rules: if the stroke is horizontal, it most likely started on the left side, whereas if the stroke is vertical, it probably started at the top.
There are a few exceptions, but not many.
While learning stroke order may seem pointless, it's actually necessary to learn in order to tell certain characters apart.
For example, two katakana characters
- シ and ツ, respectively
- can be mistaken for the other character if written in improper stroke order and direction, which can jumble up a sentence at worst, and make it tough to read at best.
Additionally, characters aren't always clearly written, as opposed to when they're printed on a screen, and there are other more cursive styles of writing that can make it crucial to write in proper stroke order. -
Step 2: Know how "好き" is used.
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Step 3: Know how "愛" is used.
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Step 4: Know how "恋" is used.
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Step 5: Know the Japanese alphabets.
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Step 6: Know basic stroke order.
Detailed Guide
In Japanese, due to the varying ways of saying certain things based on politeness and the weight some words can carry, it's important to know what the different types of love are.
The three most commonly used are 好き (suki), 愛 (ai), and 恋 (koi). , Suki is the most common way of expressing love, although when translated to English, it would be closer to the definition of "like" than "love".
However, it is often used as an expression of love, and saying "daisuke" (大好き) is a way of saying you really like someone. , Ai is commonly heard when translating "love" to Japanese, but it's actually rarely used.
It is meant as a very strong expression of love; saying "愛してる" (ai shiteru) is reserved for people you truly love, such as a very close partner. , Koi is used when referring to love in third person, and as such, is not used as an expression of affection towards the person you're speaking to.
It's not very commonly seen in expressions of affection as a result. , When children and non-native Japanese speakers are learning how to write in Japanese, they initially start with learning hiragana, which are simple characters commonly used in Japanese writing.
Katakana is another basic alphabet, but it is reserved for foreign words, such as names.
Kanji are the characters derived from Chinese, which are much more complex to write than hiragana, but are sometimes used to help clarify the context of a sentence when reading. , Whether you're going to be writing in hiragana or kanji, you'll need to learn how to write properly, as writing with the wrong stroke order can make it look like your sentence says something else entirely.
Stroke order typically sticks to two rules: if the stroke is horizontal, it most likely started on the left side, whereas if the stroke is vertical, it probably started at the top.
There are a few exceptions, but not many.
While learning stroke order may seem pointless, it's actually necessary to learn in order to tell certain characters apart.
For example, two katakana characters
- シ and ツ, respectively
- can be mistaken for the other character if written in improper stroke order and direction, which can jumble up a sentence at worst, and make it tough to read at best.
Additionally, characters aren't always clearly written, as opposed to when they're printed on a screen, and there are other more cursive styles of writing that can make it crucial to write in proper stroke order.
About the Author
Jacob Brown
A passionate writer with expertise in creative arts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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