恋 meaning and stroke order
Love; to yearn for, to long for
How to write 恋, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 4
- 5
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- 10
Meaning of 恋
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to feel attached to
- to long for
- to love
How 恋 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 亦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 恋
恋 is 亦 (yì) sitting on top of 心 (xīn, heart). The heart at the bottom gives the meaning, so think of a heart that keeps longing for someone.
恋 usually appears inside words rather than alone. The most common are 恋爱 (liàn'ài, romantic love) and the phrase 谈恋爱 (tán liàn'ài, to be dating). Example: 他们在谈恋爱。(Tāmen zài tán liàn'ài.) They are dating.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 亦 with the wrong number of dots or confuse 恋 with 变 (biàn, to change), which shares the same top but has 又 at the bottom instead of 心. Also keep the fourth tone: liàn, not lián.
Common words with 恋
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 恋爱 | liàn'ài | (romantic) love; in love | HSK 5 |
| 迷恋 | míliàn | to be infatuated with; to be enchanted by | HSK 7-9 |
| 失恋 | shīliàn | to lose one's love; to break up (in a romantic relationship) | HSK 7-9 |
| 留恋 | liúliàn | reluctant to leave; to hate to have to go | HSK 7-9 |
| 恋恋不舍 | liànliàn-bùshě | reluctant to part | HSK 7-9 |
| 同性恋 | tóngxìngliàn | homosexuality; gay person | |
| 谈恋爱 | tánliàn'ài | to be in a romantic relationship; to go steady; to be dating | |
| 恋人 | liànrén | lover; sweetheart | |
| 初恋 | chūliàn | first love | |
| 恋情 | liànqíng | romantic love | |
| 暗恋 | ànliàn | to be secretly in love with | |
| 异性恋 | yìxìngliàn | heterosexuality; heterosexual love | |
| 同性恋者 | tóngxìngliànzhě | homosexual; gay person | |
| 自恋 | zìliàn | narcissism |
恋 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 恋
How many strokes are in 恋?
恋 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 恋 mean?
恋 (liàn) means love; to yearn for, to long for. A common word with it is 恋爱 (liàn'ài), meaning "(romantic) love; in love".
How do you pronounce 恋?
恋 is pronounced liàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 恋?
The radical of 恋 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 恋 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 恋?
The traditional form of 恋 is 戀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 恋 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 恋 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 恋 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 恋 and 爱?
爱 (ài) is the general word for love and can be used alone, as in 我爱你. 恋 focuses on romantic attachment or longing and mostly appears in compounds like 恋爱 and 恋人.
Can 恋 describe attachment to places or things, not just people?
Yes. Words like 留恋 (liúliàn, reluctant to leave) and 恋恋不舍 (liànliàn-bùshě, reluctant to part) are often used for places, times, or experiences you do not want to leave behind.