永遠の愛
eien no ai
Eternal love in Japanese is 永遠の愛 (eien no ai).
永遠の愛 refers to a love that lasts forever and never ends. It is a highly poetic and dramatic expression often found in literature, songs or formal wedding vows rather than casual daily conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 永遠 (eien) meaning 'eternity', の (no) a possessive particle and 愛 (ai) meaning 'love'.
Which one should you use?
永遠の愛情 can be used to express eternal love formally.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
永遠の愛 means eternal love in a formal context. For an informal way to say 'It's eternal love', you can use 永遠の愛だよ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle の (no) functions like 'of' or an adjective-forming particle to link the noun 'eternity' to the noun 'love'.
How do you pronounce it?
eien no ai
Did you know?
- In Japanese Buddhist-influenced thought, the concept of 'eternity' in 永遠 (eien) often implies a cyclical or timeless state, which provides a more spiritual undertone to the phrase than the Western romanticized view of linear time.
- In modern Japanese pop culture, particularly in anime and manga, 永遠の愛 is frequently used as a trope to signal a tragic fate or an impossible promise.
- The kanji for 'love', 愛, contains the radical for 'heart' (心) in its traditional form, visually reinforcing the idea that the emotion is deeply rooted in the core of one's being.
Examples in context
- 永遠の愛なんてあるわけないじゃん。Eternal love doesn't exist.This sentence shows a skeptical view using the form 永遠の愛.Tatoeba #3591603 by tommy_san, translation #3621377 by gaialoro
- 私の最愛の人へ、永遠の愛を誓います。To my dearest one, I vow eternal love.
- 永遠の愛を誓います。Eien no ai o chikaimasu.I swear eternal love.
- 二人は永遠の愛を信じています。Futari wa eien no ai o shinjite imasu.The two of them believe in eternal love.
Example conversation
A couple is talking about a movie they just watched.
- 蓮 Renあの映画のテーマは永遠の愛だったね。Ano eiga no tēma wa eien no ai datta ne.The theme of that movie was eternal love, wasn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、とても感動的な物語だったよ。Un, totemo kandōteki na monogatari datta yo.Yeah, it was a very moving story.
- 蓮 Ren美咲もそんな愛に憧れる？Misaki mo sonna ai ni akogareru?Misaki, do you long for that kind of love too?
- 美咲 Misakiもちろん、素敵なことだと思うわ。Mochiron, suteki na koto da to omou wa.Of course, I think it is a wonderful thing.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
