(いと)おしい

いとおしい
i-adjective
dear, lovable, precious
emotion
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present(いと)おしい(いと)おしくない
Past(いと)おしかった(いと)おしくなかった
て form(いと)おしくて(いと)おしくなくて
Adverbial(いと)おしく
Conditional ば(いと)おしければ(いと)おしくなければ
Conditional たら(いと)おしかったら(いと)おしくなかったら
1. dear, lovable, precious, endearing
A deep feeling of tender affection and protectiveness toward someone or something. Conveys a warm, gentle love often mixed with a desire to cherish or protect. Carries more emotional depth than simply 'cute' or 'likable.'
(いと)おしい()()
My dear child.
The cat's sleeping face is unbearably adorable.
Ordinary everyday moments feel precious when you look back on them.

(いと)おしい expresses a deep, tender affection — a feeling of wanting to cherish and protect someone or something.

Forms

  • Adverbial: (いと)おしく
  • Noun form: (いと)おしさ

Similar words

  • (いと)おしい: tenderly dear, precious (deep emotional attachment)
  • 可愛(かわい)い: cute, adorable (lighter, broader)
  • (あい)らしい: lovely, charming (more about outward appearance)
  • いじらしい: touching, pitiable (evokes sympathy for someone trying hard)

Writing

Also written (いと)しい (shorter form). Both (いと)おしい and (いと)しい are common. The hiragana form いとおしい is also widely used.