Word
恋人
Meaning in Englishlover, boyfriend, girlfriend
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
What does 恋人 mean? It refers to a person with whom one is in a romantic relationship, typically a lover or romantic partner; the term covers both male and female partners in casual and semi-formal contexts.
Main meanings
- Primary meaning: a person in a romantic relationship who is cherished as a lover or partner.
- Gender neutrality: the word does not specify gender; it can refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend depending on context.
- Emotional nuance: often implies affectionate or romantic involvement rather than casual dating.
- Usage in media: commonly appears in storytelling, songs, and conversations about relationships.
How to use it
Used to denote a person one is romantically involved with; common in everyday speech and semi-formal writing. Typical constructions include 恋人が…, 恋人と…, 恋人になった, with particles marking subject, company, or status.
Variants and close terms
- 彼氏 (kareshi) — boyfriend
- 彼女 (kanojo) — girlfriend
- 恋人同士 (koibito dōshi) — a couple, lovers
- 愛人 (aijin) — mistress or lover (note the nuance and formal register)
Composition
- 恋: romantic love, longing; used in verbs and phrases about love.
- 人: person; marks a human being; together they designate the person someone loves.
Etymology
Etymology: From 恋 meaning romantic love and 人 meaning person; together they form a noun for the person one loves, without implying marriage or long-term status.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N3
人間
ningen
human being, person, humanity
N4
ご主人
goshujin
someone else’s husband, master of house
N4
人口
jinkou
population, number of people
N4
人形
ningyou
doll, figure
N5
何人
nannin
how many people
N5
四人
yonin
four people
N5
外国人
gaikokujin
foreigner, foreign person
N5
人
hito
person, people
N5
大人
otona
adult
Kanji