# あい
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of あい – see the following entries. :
| 【哀】S | [noun] grief; sorrow; sadness; lamentation [noun] pity; sympathy |
| 【愛】4 | [noun] love [noun] affection [noun] tenderness [noun] fondness, liking [noun] This term needs a translation to English. [noun] (Christianity) agape [proper noun] a female given name [proper noun] a surname [affix] love [affix] (US) Short for 愛州 (“Idaho (a state of the United States)”). |
| 【隘】H | [affix] narrow; confined |
| 【埃】H | [noun] one ten-billionth |
| 【娃】J | [affix] beauty, beautiful girl (generally only used in names) |
| 【靄】H | [affix] mist, haze [affix] mistiness, haziness [proper noun] a female given name |
| 【藍】S | [noun] the Japanese indigo or Chinese indigo plant, Persicaria tinctoria [noun] the color indigo, from the dye processed from the stems and leaves of various indigo plants [noun] Short for 藍蝋 (airō): indigo pigment made from boiled-down indigo dye liquid [proper noun] a female given name [proper noun] a surname Alternative spelling アイ |
| 【鮎】J | [noun] (obsolete) ayu or sweetfish (Plecoglossus altivelis) |
(This term, あい (ai), 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

* (Tokyo) あい [áꜜì] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [a̠i]
* 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-)
* 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).
* used in official or epistolary writings for elegance or politeness

### Etymology 3

* Alternative spellings
* 合い 合
Same as above.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) あい [àí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [a̠i]

#### Suffix

あい • (-ai)
* mutual, together, each other, meeting
    意(い)味(み)合(あ)い ― imiai ― implication, shade of meaning, nuance

#### Noun

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

### Etymology 4

* Alternative spellings
* 合い 会い

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) あい [áꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [a̠i]

#### Verb

あい • (ai)
* stem or continuative form of あう (au) [godan]

### Etymology 5

* Alternative spelling
* 間

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) あい [áꜜì] (Atamadaka –)
* (Tokyo) あい [àí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [a̠i]

#### Noun

あい • (ai)
* (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
* 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
* Short for 間狂言 (aikyōgen).
* Short for 間駒 (aigoma).
* Short for 間の手 (ai no te).

##### Synonyms

* (interval of time or space): 間(ま) (ma), 間(あいだ) (aida), 合(あい)間(ま) (aima)
* (relationship between people, terms): 間(あいだ)柄(がら) (aidagara), 仲(なか) (naka)

### Etymology 6
#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) あい [áꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [a̠i]

#### Interjection

あい • (ai)
* (informal) Clipping of はい (hai).

### References

* 1 2 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Okinawan
### Noun

あい (ai)
* 蟻: ant