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酷爱 (kù ài) — ardently love, to be extremely fond of

Definition

酷爱 (kù'ài) is a formal, written verb meaning 'to love ardently / be deeply passionate about', much stronger than the everyday 爱. Common with hobbies like 音乐, 读书, 运动.

verb
ardently loveto be extremely fond of

Examples

  • 酷爱，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù kù ài yīn yuè, xiàn zài chéng le yì míng gāng qín jiā.
    He has ardently loved music since childhood and has now become a pianist.
  • 酷爱，。
    Wǒ kù ài dú shū, měi tiān zhì shǎo kàn liǎng xiǎo shí shū.
    I am extremely fond of reading and read for at least two hours every day.
  • 酷爱，。
    Tā kù ài yùn dòng, tè bié shì yóu yǒng hé pǎo bù.
    She ardently loves sports, especially swimming and running.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

酷kùextreme
爱àilove

酷 conveys extreme intensity, and 爱 is love, so together they mean to love something intensely.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒualcoholic drink vessel
Sound part声符shēngfú
告
告gào酷kù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酷 pairs 酉, an alcoholic drink vessel, with 告, which gives the sound.

Open 酷 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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