爱 — to love; to be fond of; to like
to love; to be fond of; to like; affection
- Pinyin
- ài
- Strokes
- 10
- HSK level
- HSK 1
- Handwriting
- required
How to write 爱: 10 strokes
Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.
Words with 爱 in the HSK syllabus: 22
Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.
- 爱àito love; to be fond of; to like; affectionHSK 1
- 爱好àihàoto like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen onHSK 2
- 爱人àirenspouse; loverHSK 3
- 可爱kě’àiadorable; cute; lovelyHSK 3
- 喜爱xǐ’àito like; to love; to be fond of; favoriteHSK 3
- 爱情àiqíngromance; loveHSK 4
- 爱心àixīncompassion; kindness; care for others; love; charityHSK 4
- 爱护àihùto cherish; to treasure; to take care ofHSK 5
- 恋爱liàn’àilove; in love; to have an affairHSK 5
- 亲爱qīn’àidear; beloved; darlingHSK 5
- 热爱rè’àito love ardently; to adoreHSK 5
- 关爱guān’àito show concern and care forHSK 6
- 心爱xīn’àibelovedHSK 6
- 爱不释手àibúshìshǒuto like sth so much that one is reluctant to put it down; to find sth utterly irresistibleHSK 7–9
- 爱戴àidàito love and respect; love and respectHSK 7–9
- 爱慕àimùto adore; to admireHSK 7–9
- 爱惜àixīto cherish; to treasure; to use sparinglyHSK 7–9
- 宠爱chǒng’àito dote on sbHSK 7–9
- 恩爱ēn’àiloving affection; conjugal loveHSK 7–9
- 敬爱jìng’àito respect and love; to hold in high esteemHSK 7–9
- 偏爱piān’àito be partial towards sth; to favor; to preferHSK 7–9
- 疼爱téngàito love dearly; to dote onHSK 7–9
Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.