• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Japanese Particles Master

particles for perfection

  • Home
  • grammar
  • particles
  • nouns
  • verbs
  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • translation
  • Author
Home » nouns » Koibito is the Japanese word for ‘partner’, explained

September 14, 2019 By Masaki Mori

Koibito is the Japanese word for ‘partner’, explained

What does “koibito” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “koibito” often to mean ‘partner’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “koibito” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

  • Definition and meanings of “koibito”
  • What does “koibito” literally mean in Japanese?
    • Example #1: how to say “partner” in Japanese
    • Example #2: another usage of “koibito”
  • Summary

Definition and meanings of “koibito”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “koibito”.

  • koibito – 恋人 (こいびと) : a noun meaning ‘partner’ or occasionally ‘lover’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person with whom they have a romantic relationship.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

What does “koibito” literally mean in Japanese?

The kanji expression of “koibito” consists of the following two kanji characters:

  • 恋 : a kanji character used to mean ‘love’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “hatsukoi“.
  • 人 : a kanji character used to mean ‘person’ in Japanese.

These two kanji characters tell us that “koibito” literally means a ‘person to love’ in Japanese. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the actual meanings. In addition, it does not contain any word determining the gender of a partner. It can, therefore, refer to a partner regardless of their gender.

koibito in japanese

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “koibito” through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “koibito” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “partner” in Japanese

kanojo wa boku no koibito desu – 彼女は僕の恋人です (かのじょはぼくのこいびとです)

She is my partner.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
  • wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
  • no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
  • desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “boku no koibito” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “koibito”. In this example, it works together with the possessive case, “boku no”, to mean ‘my partner’ in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘partner’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “koibito”

watashi no koibito wa totemo kakkoii desu – 私の恋人はとてもかっこいいです (わたしのこいびとはとてもかっこいいです)

My boyfriend is very handsome.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to say “my” in Japanese.
  • totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “kakkoii” to emphasize its meaning.
  • kakkoii – かっこいい : an i-adjective meaning ‘handsome’ or such in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “koibito”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no koibito”, which means ‘my boyfriend’ in Japanese. Again, but it can also mean ‘boyfriend’ depending on the context and situation.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “koibito” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

  • koibito – 恋人 (こいびと) : a noun meaning ‘partner’ or occasionally ‘lover’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘person to love’ in Japanese. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the actual meanings. In addition, this does not contain any word determining the gender of a partner. This noun can, therefore, refer to a partner regardless of their gender.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Filed Under: nouns Tagged With: Kanji for person

Recent Posts

  • Komorebi is the Japanese word for ‘sunlight through leaves’
  • Nikkouyoku is the Japanese word for ‘sunbathing’, explained
  • Shinrinyoku is the Japanese word for ‘forest bathing’, explained
  • Hatsutaiken is the Japanese word for ‘first experience’
  • Hatsuyuki is the Japanese word for ‘first snow of the season’

Primary Sidebar

Written by Masaki Mori

Engineer and industrial translator for more than ten years. I teach Japanese to spread the Japanese culture. I always try to explain every single new word so that Japanese learners can understand the correct meanings of example sentences. Read More…

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Learn more words by kanji groups

Kanji for bad Kanji for beauty Kanji for big Kanji for cat Kanji for child Kanji for day Kanji for devil Kanji for eye Kanji for fire Kanji for god Kanji for ground Kanji for hand Kanji for he Kanji for heart Kanji for heaven Kanji for mood Kanji for moon Kanji for mouth Kanji for night Kanji for now Kanji for one of a pair Kanji for person Kanji for rain Kanji for time Kanji for tree Kanji for week Kanji for what Kanji for woman Kanji for year

Check recent posts

  • Komorebi is the Japanese word for ‘sunlight through leaves’
  • Nikkouyoku is the Japanese word for ‘sunbathing’, explained
  • Shinrinyoku is the Japanese word for ‘forest bathing’, explained
  • Hatsutaiken is the Japanese word for ‘first experience’
  • Hatsuyuki is the Japanese word for ‘first snow of the season’

Are you still looking for something?

Footer

Pages

  • Author

Categories

  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • grammar
  • nouns
  • particles
  • translation
  • verbs
  • vocabulary

Written by Masaki Mori

Engineer and industrial translator for more than ten years. I teach Japanese to spread the Japanese culture. Read More…

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Feed

  • RSS

Copyright © 2017–2025 Japanese Particles Master All Rights Reserved.