Save Gender Feminine Usage Japanese Scripts 愛, 千桐, etc.(Japanese Kanji) Pronounced Pron. CHEE-GEE-ṘEE [key] Meaning & History From Japanese 愛 (chigiri) meaning "love, affection" or from Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with 桐 (giri) meaning "paulownia tree". Other kanji combinations are possible.