Koigokoro

Koigokoro (恋心), also translated as "love heart," "feeling of love," or "heart of love," is a Japanese term that refers to the nascent or budding feeling of romantic love. It encompasses the complex emotions experienced when one first begins to develop amorous feelings for another person. These emotions can include attraction, longing, tenderness, infatuation, hope, and sometimes anxiety or shyness.

Unlike ai (愛), which represents a more mature, established love, koigokoro specifically focuses on the initial stages of romantic affection. It emphasizes the delicate and often tentative nature of these feelings, highlighting the internal experience of falling in love rather than the external manifestation of a committed relationship. It can be described as the tender stirrings of the heart toward another.

The term often implies a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty, as the individual experiencing koigokoro may not yet know if their feelings are reciprocated. It can also refer to a fleeting or unrequited love. Koigokoro is a recurring theme in Japanese literature, film, and music, often used to portray the bittersweet beauty and emotional turmoil of early love. The kanji used to write the word literally translates to "love/longing" (恋) and "heart/mind" (心), further emphasizing the intimate and personal nature of the experience.