ハート
はーと
noun
heart (shape, card suit, emotional sense)
1.
heart shape ♥
The conventional heart symbol — used in decoration, emoji, design, and as a card suit.
ハートのマーク。
A heart mark / heart symbol.
メッセージにハートをつけた。
I added a heart to the message.
2.
hearts (suit in playing cards)
One of the four suits in a standard deck of playing cards, marked with a red heart.
ハートのエースを引いた。
I drew the ace of hearts.
次は誰のハートが出るか楽しみだ。
I'm looking forward to seeing whose heart comes up next.
3.
heart (figurative — feelings, courage, mental strength)
Used loosely in Japanese for emotional feelings, warmth, or mental strength. Distinct from 心臓 (the physical heart organ) and from 心 (more native term for mind/heart).
彼はハートが強いから、プレッシャーに負けない。
He has a strong heart (mental strength), so he doesn't crack under pressure.
試合後半で逆転負けして、選手たちのハートはぼろぼろになっていた。
After losing the lead in the second half of the game, the players' hearts were in tatters.
ハート is a loanword from English "heart." In Japanese it covers three main areas of meaning that are sometimes lumped together in English but kept somewhat separate from native Japanese vocabulary.
SCOPE NOTES — three Japanese "hearts":
- ハート: the heart shape, the card suit, and (informally/figuratively) emotional or mental strength
- 心: the native term for mind/heart in the emotional and spiritual sense
- 心臓: the physical heart organ (medical/biological)
ハート is NOT used for the physical heart organ — for that, use 心臓.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ハートマーク: a heart symbol/icon
- ハートのエース: ace of hearts (cards)
- ハート型: heart-shaped
- ハートが強い: mentally tough
- ハートが弱い: mentally weak / easily discouraged
- ハートが折れる: to lose heart, to give up emotionally
- ハートを掴む: to capture (someone's) heart
USAGE NOTES:
- Sense 3 (mental/emotional strength) overlaps with English idioms like "have heart," "strong-hearted," and is especially common in sports commentary.
- The card-suit sense (2) can also include the broader phrase ハートの札 (a heart card).