慈愛|じあいjiai[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounaffection (esp. parental); love; fondness
   慈愛じあいは家庭かていから始はじまる。↗

   Charity begins at home.

• Synonym愛情あいじょうNeutralThe everyday word for love or affection. Broader than 「慈愛」—it covers caring feelings of all kinds and is not tied to a parent's or elder's love.
• Synonym情愛じょうあいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Deep affectionate feeling, used between family members or lovers alike; its range is wider than 「慈愛」.
• Synonym愛あいNeutralLove in the broadest sense, common in speech and writing alike; it can even mean God's love (agape). 「慈愛」 is limited to tender, elder-like affection.
• Synonym愛念あいねんWrittenA rare written word for deep love held in the heart; the emphasis is on the inner feeling rather than the tender care of 「慈愛」.
• Synonym仁愛じんあいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Benevolence: compassionate concern for people at large, with a moral coloring; broader in scope than 「慈愛」.
• Related愛着あいちゃくNeutralAttachment: fondness for a person or thing you are used to and find hard to part with. It is about clinging fondness, not an elder's tender love like 「慈愛」.
• Related愛あいNeutralLove in the broadest sense, common in speech and writing alike; it can even mean God's love (agape). 「慈愛」 is limited to tender, elder-like affection.
• Related好意こういNeutralGoodwill or a favorable feeling toward someone; much lighter in degree than the deep, tender love of 「慈愛」.
• Related好きすきCasualColloquial and the most common word in daily use. It expresses personal likes and carries none of the tender, parental warmth of 「慈愛」.
• RelatedラブCasualColloquial loanword for love, often heard in pop songs and trendy speech; it leans toward romantic love.
• Related慈しみいつくしみNeutralThe native-Japanese word for tender, cherishing love. Very close to 「慈愛」 in sense but softer in tone.
• Related愛心あいしんWrittenA rare written word for a heart that cherishes things; it does not specifically mean a parent's or elder's love as 「慈愛」 does.
• Related傾慕けいぼWrittenA rare written word for wholehearted yearning or adoration for someone. 「慈愛」 is the tender, kindly love shown to those in one's care.
• Antonym憎悪ぞうおNeutralHatred: intense loathing. The direct opposite of the tender, protective love of 「慈愛」.
• Antonym残酷ざんこくNeutralCruelty: cold-hearted mercilessness. The opposite of the gentle warmth of 「慈愛」.

Use 「慈愛」 for deep, tender love like a parent's, as in 「慈愛に満ちた眼差し」. For love in general pick 「愛情」; for a softer native word, 「慈しみ」. 「憎悪」 is its antonym. For casual likes use 「好き」, for goodwill 「好意」, for pop-style romantic love 「ラブ」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 親おやが子こをかわいがり大事だいじにするような愛情あいじょう。