The character 爱 — “love”: how to write it and what it means
love
The Chinese character 爱 is read ài and means “love”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 爱
爱 has 10 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 爱, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 爱
- 爱好hobbyHSK 2
- 可爱cuteHSK 3
- 喜爱love, adoreHSK 3
- 爱人spouseHSK 3
- 爱情love (romantic)HSK 4
- 爱心kindness, compassionHSK 4
- 亲爱dear (in address)HSK 5
- 恋爱love; date (couple)HSK 5
- 热爱love deeplyHSK 5
- 爱护take good care ofHSK 5
- 关爱care for lovinglyHSK 6
- 心爱beloved, dearHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 爱?
爱 has 10 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 爱 mean?
爱 means “love”. It appears in 爱好 (“hobby”), 可爱 (“cute”), 喜爱 (“love”), 爱人 (“spouse”).
How do you pronounce 爱?
爱 is read ài. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 爱 have?
10 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 爱 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free