愛憎

• Reading: あいぞう
• Romaji: aizou
• Kanji breakdown: 愛 (ai) — love, affection; 憎 (zou) — hate, detest, resent
• Pronunciation: /a.i.zo.ɯ/

Meaning

Love and hate; mixed feelings of affection and resentment. Describes the complex coexistence of opposing emotions toward the same person or thing.

A noun that captures the deeply human experience of feeling both love and hatred simultaneously, often towards a family member, close friend, or former partner. It is central to Japanese literary and dramatic traditions and appears frequently in discussions of complex interpersonal dynamics. Often collocated with 入り混じる (to intermingle) or 相半ばする (to be evenly divided).

Examples

1. 長年の友人に対して、彼女は複雑な愛憎を抱き続けた。 She continued to harbor complex feelings of love and hate toward her longtime friend.
2. 親子の間の愛憎は、どんな小説よりも複雑だと言われる。 They say the love and hatred between parent and child is more complicated than any novel.
3. 愛憎が入り混じった感情が、彼を長年にわたり苦しめていた。 The tangled emotions of love and resentment tormented him for many years.

Usage Guide

Context: relationships, literature, psychology, drama

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 愛 (ai, love/affection) and 憎 (zou, hatred/resentment). Reflects the Buddhist philosophical recognition that love and hatred are deeply intertwined, arising from the same root of attachment.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal