Translation guide
The English word 'romance' covers a range of meanings from love and romantic relationships to idealized stories and the Romance language family. This guide helps learners express these concepts naturally in Japanese.
Expressing the feeling of romantic love or a romantic relationship between people.
The most direct and common term for romantic love or a romantic relationship. It can refer to the emotion or the relationship itself.
二人は恋愛関係にある。
They are in a romantic relationship.
恋愛小説が好きです。
I like romance novels.
A loanword from English, often used for a romantic story or a whirlwind romance. It can sound slightly more dramatic or story-like than 恋愛.
これは素敵なロマンスだ。
This is a wonderful romance.
Refers specifically to romantic love, often with a nuance of longing or passion. It is more emotional and less formal than 恋愛.
彼に恋をしている。
I'm in love with him.
Describing a situation, setting, or feeling that is romantic.
A loanword meaning 'romantic' in the sense of creating a loving or idealized atmosphere. Often used for dates, settings, or gestures.
ロマンチックなディナーだった。
It was a romantic dinner.
彼はロマンチックな人だ。
He is a romantic person.
The adjectival form of 恋愛, used to modify nouns. It means 'romantic' in a more literal sense related to love relationships.
恋愛のチャンス
a chance for romance
Referring to the genre of romantic fiction or films.
A common term for romance stories, movies, or dramas. もの means 'thing' or 'genre'.
このドラマは恋愛ものだ。
This drama is a romance.
Also used for the genre, especially in titles or when emphasizing a storybook quality.
Referring to a sense of excitement, mystery, and idealization, often associated with adventure or a glamorous lifestyle.
Means 'adventure', but can capture the sense of exciting, romanticized experiences. Often used in phrases like 'romance of travel'.
旅の冒険を求めて。
Seeking the romance of travel.
A loanword from French 'roman', meaning a romantic ideal, dream, or epic tale. It conveys a sense of grand, often unattainable, romance or adventure.
Referring to the family of languages derived from Latin.
The standard term for Romance languages.
フランス語はロマンス語の一つです。
French is one of the Romance languages.
恋愛 (ren'ai) is the standard term for romantic love/relationships. ロマンス (romansu) often implies a story-like or dramatic romance. 恋 (koi) is more emotional and passionate, often used in phrases like 恋をする (to fall in love).
ロマンチック (romantic) only means 'romantic' in the emotional sense. For the language family, use ロマンス語 (romansu-go).
旅行中に二人の恋愛が花開いた。
Their romance blossomed during the trip.
古城のロマンが大好きだ。
I love the romance of old castles.
ロマンス映画を見たい。
I want to watch a romance movie.
There is romance in space.