憧れ
Meaning in Englishyearning, longing, aspiration
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
憧れ means a wistful longing for someone or something regarded as admirable or ideal, capturing an emotional pull toward a dream, goal, or person and often including a desire to imitate or attain that ideal.
Main meanings
- A deep feeling of longing and admiration toward a person, place, or ideal, often accompanied by a wish to imitate or attain it.
- Commonly used with の to mark the object of longing, as in 憧れの人, indicating a long-term aspiration.
- Conveys a sense of romantic or aspirational admiration rather than basic desire.
How to use it
Usage: Used as a noun; often followed by の to mark the object of longing, as in 憧れの人; commonly appears in both casual speech and formal writing; expressions include 憧れを抱く and 憧れに向かう.
Variants and close terms
- あこがれ, akogare – the same word in kana
- 望み, nozomi – desire or hope, a related nuance
- 理想, risō – ideal, used to describe the target of longing
- ロマン, roman – romance or romantic longing, more literary
Composition
- 憧 means longing or yearning; attaching れ forms the noun 憧れ from the verb 憧れる to denote the abstract feeling
Etymology
etimologia The noun 憧れ derives from the verb 憧れる; the kanji 憧 carries the sense of longing and the kun reading akogare supplies the pronunciation.
Origin
Origin: Classical and modern Japanese; attested in Heian literature and widely used in contemporary speech to describe longing toward people, places, or ideals.
Word class
noun (名詞)