close to heart

close to your heart

also dear to your heart

of great importance to you The issue of race is one that is close to his heart.

if something is dear to someone's heart, it is very important to them Animal rights is an issue very close to my heart.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Valentina	vah-len-TEE-nah (Italian), vah-lyen-TEE-nah (Russian), vah-leen-TEE-nah (Russian)	Italian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Romanian, Spanish, Ancient Roman
Hosea	[həu'ziə]
Funanya	-	Western African, Igbo
Ladislava	-	Czech, Slovak
Maria	mah-REE-ah (Italian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch), mə-REE-ə (Catalan, English), MAHR-yah (Polish), MAH-ree-ah (Finnish)	Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian,
Maia (1)	MAY-ə (English), MIE-ə (English)	Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, Portuguese, Georgian