Onyomi: リ · Kunyomi: ことわり · Meanings: arrangement, justice, logic, reason, truth
Kanji for arrangement, justice, logic, reason, truth
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The kanji 理 combines the “king” radical (王) with the “rice” radical (里), symbolizing order and balance. In ancient times, it represented arranging or managing things logically, like organizing fields and resources. 理 came to mean reason, logic, or principle, capturing understanding, order, and rational thought.
King and fields together — 理 means reason, logic, or principle.
Imagine organizing a field carefully under a king’s guidance — that’s 理, the kanji for logic, reason, and order.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 理 | り | reason, principle, logic | common Noun |
| 理 | ことわり | reason, logic, sense, natural way of things | Noun |
| 理解 | りかい | understanding, comprehension, appreciation | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 理想 | りそう | ideal, ideals | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 理由 | りゆう | reason, grounds, pretext, excuse, motive | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 理論 | りろん | theory | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 理性 | りせい | reason, reasoning power, (one's) sense | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 理科 | りか | science (inc. mathematics, medicine, etc.), natural science | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 理屈 | りくつ | theory, reason, logic | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 理容師 | りようし | barber, hairdresser | Noun |