恋しい

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 恋しい(こいしい) is an i-adjective expressing longing for an absent person, place, or similar object of attachment.
• Basic usage: As in the examples, it can describe missing family cooking or a familiar place, not only romantic longing.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• が marks what is missed
  • In 母の手料理が恋しい, が marks the food the speaker misses. This differs from the English verb miss, which takes that food as its object.
• A change with 恋しくなる
  • 恋しくなる changes the ending of 恋しい to く before なる. It describes longing arising or growing stronger.