恋愛

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 恋愛 is a noun and irregular intransitive verb read れんあい, meaning romance or romantic love between people.
• Basic usage: Use 遠距離の恋愛を続ける for maintaining a long-distance relationship and 友情と恋愛の間で揺れる for being torn between friendship and love.
  • 友人は遠距離の恋愛を三年続けています。 describes a friend maintaining a long-distance relationship for three years; この小説は友情と恋愛の間で揺れる若者を描いています。 describes a novel portraying a young person torn between friendship and love.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 恋愛を続ける
  • を marks the romantic relationship being continued.
• 三年続けている
  • ている shows that the relationship began earlier and remains ongoing after three years.
• 友情と恋愛の間で
  • と pairs the two feelings, and 間で sets the range within which the person wavers.