v.
To protect and care for someone with deep heartfelt affection. To love, cherish, or enjoy doing something.
爱
Common Usage & Traps
- 爱看书 — love reading
- 爱买东西 — love shopping
- 很爱 — love very much
- 爱你 — love you
- 爱吃辣 — love spicy food
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我爱很他我很爱他很 must come before 爱, not after it. Chinese puts the 'very' before the feeling word.
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我爱书 (for 'I love reading')我爱看书 or 我喜欢看书To love an activity, put the action after 爱. Bare 爱书 sounds like you love books as physical objects.
Does 我爱吃火锅 sound like I'm romantically in love with hotpot?
No, 爱 with an action just means you really enjoy doing it.
爱 before a verb like 吃 or 买 means you really enjoy doing that thing, not romance. Romance only kicks in when the object is a person, like 我爱她. So 我爱吃火锅 is a normal, safe thing to say to friends. If you want a milder 'like', use 喜欢 instead.
“我很爱买东西。” (I really love shopping.)
“我很爱买东西。” (I really love shopping.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| With an action | 我爱吃火锅 (I love eating hotpot) | 我爱很吃火锅 (broken word order) |
| With a person | 我爱她 (I love her) | 我喜欢她 (usually just like) |
| Milder liking | 我喜欢吃火锅 (I like hotpot) | 我爱吃火锅 (too strong for casual) |
What's the difference between 爱 and 喜欢 for hobbies?
喜欢 is your default 'like'; 爱 is stronger, almost obsessed.
喜欢 works for almost any mild positive feeling, from hobbies to people. 爱 cranks up the emotion and usually means you're seriously into it. For a hobby, 我喜欢看书 is a normal everyday sentence. 我爱看书 means you're a book fanatic who reads all the time. For people, 喜欢 can be a crush, while 爱 is serious love. So pick based on how strong the feeling is.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Mild hobby | 我喜欢看书 | 我爱看书 (if you just mean like) |
| Strong hobby | 我爱看书 | 我喜欢看书 (too weak) |
| Talking about a crush | 我喜欢她 | 我爱她 (too serious too soon) |
| Talking about serious love | 我爱她 | 我喜欢她 (too light) |
Why is 我很爱他 correct but 我爱很他 wrong?
很 goes before 爱, never after it.
很 attaches to the feeling word from the left. So you say 我很爱他, not 我爱很他. Think of 很 as a volume knob placed before the emotion. This rule also works with 喜欢, 想, and 怕. If you put 很 after the verb, it sounds broken to native ears.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Correct order | 我很爱他 | 我爱很他 |
| With 喜欢 | 我很喜欢他 | 我喜欢很他 |
| With 想 | 我很想他 | 我想很他 |
Can you say 我爱书 to mean 'I love reading'?
爱书 means loving books as objects, not the act of reading.
If you mean the hobby of reading, you need the verb 看. So 我爱看书 is 'I love reading.' 我爱书 sounds like you collect or cherish books themselves. The same logic applies to other hobbies: 我爱买东西, not 我爱东西. Keep the action in the phrase.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 我爱看书 | 我爱书 (for reading) |
| Shopping | 我爱买东西 | 我爱东西 |
| Cooking | 我爱做饭 | 我爱饭 |
Appears in Stories 7 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
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我很 爱 买东西。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
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哥哥 爱 唱歌。
Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.
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他除了做饼干、卖饼干，还 爱 读一点书，喜欢与人讨论政治制度。
Welcome! This short poem helps you practice the months, weekdays, and mealtimes in Chinese. Read it aloud and notice the rhythm. You already know many of these words!
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一年十二月， 爱 你也想你。
Shopping for fruit is a common daily task in China. Practice saying prices, counting items, and using simple shopping phrases while buying five apples for three yuan.
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我很 爱 买东西。
Before you read, meet the grandparents! This rhyming chant helps you practice the different names for maternal and paternal grandparents in Chinese. Listen to the beat and repeat.
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爷爷和奶奶，姥爷和姥姥，他们都 爱 我，我也 爱 他们。
This playful rhyme helps you learn family words in Chinese. Practice saying who's who with simple questions and answers!
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人人 爱 学习，天天去学校，上午读读书，下午写写字。
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