Some important vocabulary words related to love
Every language has its share of love related words. Japanese is no exception. Today, let’s look at a few (clean) love words! This is for the romantic samurai within us all…
CONTENTS:
PART 1. The kiss words
PART 2. The other words
PART 3. The love words
MOOD SETTING: Imagine a young samurai proposing to his kunoichi (female ninja) girlfriend and then setting out on a lonesome road to gain honor and riches for their future life together…
| THE KISS WORDS: |
1) キス – That’s right. Its from English! (two beats: キ・ス)
USAGE: 最後のキス
the last kiss
2) ちゅう – This is the standard Japanese for ‘kiss’
USAGE: ちゅう して下さい。
‘Please give me a kiss.’
3) 口付け – (lit. mouth + attach)
4) 接吻 – an old-fashion romantic word, but still used
USAGE: ゴジラは接吻しようとキティちゃんに近づいたが、逃げられた。
Godzilla thought to kiss Hello Kitty and approached her, but she ran away.
| THE OTHER WORDS: |
5) 一目惚れ – ‘love at first sight’
6) ラブレター – Love letter
USAGE: ラブレターか 果たし状か？
‘Is this a love letter, or a letter of challenge (to battle)?’
| THE LOVE WORDS: |
7) 愛 – ‘Love’
USAGE: 愛しているから
‘Because I love you!’
RELATED WORDS: 愛妻 (beloved wife – a wife that loves and cares for her husband); 愛妻弁当 – a Bento (lunch box) prepared by one’s loving wife)
8) 恋 – ‘Love’
RELATED WORDS:
恋人 (恋 + 人 → こいびと; the ひ becomes び) a lover, boyfriend or girlfriend
恋しい (to miss (something or someone), to yearn for)
9) 好き – ‘to like’ (the す is usually devoiced, so すき comes out sounding close to ‘ski’; sometimes the す is pronounced fully)
USAGE: あなたが好き。
‘I like you.’ – simple but effective
10) ラブラブ – ‘Love Love’ (ラブ is the katakana of English ‘love’; to an English ear ラブラブ can sound like ‘rub rub’, but it means two people are in love.)
11) 愛の表現 – “an expression of love”
USAGE: それは愛の表現ですか？
Is that an expression of love?
