あい

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word あい. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word あい, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say あい in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word あい you have here. The definition of the word あい will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofあい, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: アイ and Appendix:Variations of "ai"

Japanese

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of あい – see the following entries.
【哀】S
grief; sorrow; sadness; lamentation
pity; sympathy
【愛】4
love
affection
tenderness
fondness, liking
This term needs a translation to English.
(Christianity) agape
a female given name
a surname
love
(US) Short for 愛州 (“Idaho (a state of the United States)”).
【隘】H
narrow; confined
【埃】H
one ten-billionth
【娃】J
beauty, beautiful girl (generally only used in names)
【靄】H
mist, haze
mistiness, haziness
a female given name
(This term, あい, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as あい, see Category:Japanese kanji read as あい.)

Etymology 2

Alternative spelling
相

From Old Japanese stem form of verb あう (au): to meet, to be together, etc.

Pronunciation

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Prefix

あい • (ai-) ←あひ (afi)?

  1. mutual, together, each other
    相(あい)手(て) ― aite ― partner; opponent
    兄弟(きょうだい)はいつも相(あい)戦(たたか)うものだ。
    Kyōdai wa itsumo ai-tatakau mono da.
    Brothers (siblings) will always fight (with each other).
  2. used in official or epistolary writings for elegance or politeness

Etymology 3

Alternative spellings
合い
合

Same as 相 above.

Suffix

あい • (-ai) ←あひ (afi)?

  1. mutual, together, each other, meeting
    意(い)味(み)合(あ)い ― imiai ― implication, shade of meaning, nuance

Noun

あい • (ai) ←あひ (afi)?

  1. Short for 合い服 (あいふく, aifuku, “clothing worn in spring or autumn”).

Etymology 4

Alternative spelling
間

Pronunciation

Noun

あい • (ai) ←あひ (afi)?

  1. (literary or dialectal) interval of time or space; time; during; between; leisure
    歯(は)の間(あい)にものが挟(はさ)む ― ha no ai ni mono ga hasamu ― something is sticking between the teeth
  2. relation; relationship; terms (between people)
    夫(ふう)婦(ふ)間(あい)が悪(わる)い ― fūfu ai ga warui ― the husband and wife are on bad terms
  3. Short for 間狂言 (aikyōgen).
  4. Short for 間駒 (aigoma).
  5. Short for 間の手 (ai no te).
Synonyms

Etymology 5

Interjection

あい • (ai) 

  1. (informal) Clipping of はい (hai).

Etymology 6

For pronunciation and definitions of あい – see the following entry.
【藍】S
the Japanese indigo or Chinese indigo plant, Persicaria tinctoria
the color indigo, from the dye processed from the stems and leaves of various indigo plants
Short for 藍蝋 (airō): indigo pigment made from boiled-down indigo dye liquid
a female given name
a surname
Alternative spelling
アイ
(This term, あい, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as あい, see Category:Japanese kanji read as あい.)

Etymology 7

For pronunciation and definitions of あい – see the following entry.
【鮎】J
(obsolete) ayu or sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis)
(This term, あい, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as あい, see Category:Japanese kanji read as あい.)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Okinawan

Noun

あい (ai) 

  1. 蟻: ant
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia