I've looked through various dictionary sites and they translate it to
affection/love. So how does it relate to 愛 and 恋? To suki and daisuki? There
seem to be a lot of ways to say love...
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2018-03-25T02:36:05.183
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2018-03-25T02:59:56.057
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kanji
What is 慈しみ (itsukushimi)?
慈しみ (or 慈愛) is a kind of unconditional love that is given to weak beings.
Typically 慈しみ is given from parents to their children, from a master to their
pet, from a young person to an old/sick person, from God to their people, etc.

慈しみ has nothing to do with romance, so, 慈しみ is basically closer to 愛 than 恋.
Unlike 愛, 慈しみ is usually not used for someone greater than you. In addition,
慈しみ is much more literary than 愛, and it's typically used in religious
contexts or moral classes. I think most adults occasionally use 愛 but do not
use 慈しみ at all in daily conversations. For the difference between 愛 and 恋, see
the following questions:

  * [Love in the air: 愛ｘ恋 {あい vs こい}](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/2246/5010)
  * [Translating a sentence with 恋 and 愛](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/56984/5010)
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2018-03-25T02:49:49.030
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2018-03-25T02:59:56.057
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answer