Meaning
爱自己
ài zì jǐ
Love yourself
- 爱
- love
- 自
- self
- 己
- oneself
Plain and clear: love yourself.
Self Love in Chinese
The Chinese word for self love is 爱自己 (ài zì jǐ). Plain and clear: love yourself. In traditional characters it is written 愛自己.
爱自己
ài zì jǐ
Self Love
What 爱自己 means.
爱自己 is the everyday phrase “love yourself”. 自爱 is more classical and includes self-respect, as in the advice 自尊自爱, respect and care for yourself.
- 爱
- love
- 自
- self
- 己
- oneself
Simplified and traditional
爱自己
愛自己
Both are correct and mean the same. Traditional 愛自己 keeps the older, fuller shape that calligraphy grew up with; simplified 爱自己 is what most Chinese readers use today. Our seal and clerical styles write it in the traditional form.
Pick the shade of meaning.
Chinese often has more than one word where English has one. Here is how they differ.
Meaning
自爱
zì ài
Self-love, self-respect
- 自
- self
- 爱
- love
Shorter; it also carries the sense of self-respect.
About self love in Chinese
How do you write self love in Chinese?
Self Love is 爱自己 in Chinese, pronounced ài zì jǐ. Love yourself 爱 means “love”, 自 means “self”, 己 means “oneself”.
How do you pronounce 爱自己?
Say ài (fourth tone, falling), zì (fourth tone, falling), jǐ (third tone, dipping). Mandarin tones change meaning, so it is worth listening to a native speaker once.
Is 爱自己 different in traditional Chinese?
Yes. The traditional form is 愛自己, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and classical calligraphy; 爱自己 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore. Both are correct.
What other Chinese words mean self love?
自爱 (zì ài): Self-love, self-respect Shorter; it also carries the sense of self-respect.
Is 爱自己 a good Chinese tattoo?
Yes, it is a real, everyday Chinese word rather than a machine translation, so Chinese readers will understand it. Keep the characters in their order, top to bottom or left to right, and never mirrored. Choose a readable style such as Kaishu, bring a clean reference to your artist, and show it to a fluent reader before your appointment.