恋 (liàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to love (romantically)”. It is written from 亦 (also; too) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to love; to long for”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亦 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 繁体 戀 从心 䜌声；《简化字总表》偏旁 䜌→亦 简化为 恋。现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱亦心，笔画核验 亦6 + 心4 = 10
Memory aid
The heart (心) keeps coming back to the same person — again, and also (亦) again. That pull is love.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 恋爱liàn àito be in love; romantic love恋 = liàn
- 恋人liàn rénsweetheart; lover恋 = liàn
- 眷恋juàn liànto be sentimentally attached to; to yearn for恋 = liàn
Go deeper
All readings
to love; to long for
to love (romantically); to feel attached to; to long for
男女相爱；也指留恋、舍不得离开。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 恋爱liàn àito be in love; romantic love恋 = liàn
- 恋人liàn rénsweetheart; lover恋 = liàn
- 眷恋juàn liànto be sentimentally attached to; to yearn for恋 = liàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 恋 mean?
恋 (liàn) means to love (romantically); to feel attached to; to long for.
How do you pronounce 恋?
It is pronounced liàn.
What parts is 恋 made of?
亦 (also; too) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 繁体 戀 从心 䜌声；《简化字总表》偏旁 䜌→亦 简化为 恋。现代字形拆分 IDS ⿱亦心，笔画核验 亦6 + 心4 = 10. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 恋 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 恋?
心. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 恋?
Common ones are 恋爱 and 恋人. The reading of 恋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.