Chinese symbol for “reason”
理由
lǐ yóu
reason; grounds; justification; 个 (gè)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for reason is 理由 (lǐ yóu), defined as: reason; grounds; justification; 个 (gè).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “reason”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 道理 | dào li | reason; argument |
| 理性 | lǐ xìng | reason; rationality |
| 理智 | lǐ zhì | reason; intellect |
| 缘故 (緣故) | yuán gù | reason; cause |
| 缘由 (緣由) | yuán yóu | reason; cause |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 理由.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 管理 | guǎn lǐ | to supervise; to manage |
| 处理 (處理) | chǔ lǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish |
| 理论 (理論) | lǐ lùn | theory; 个 (gè) |
| 理解 | lǐ jiě | to comprehend; to understand |
| 总理 (總理) | zǒng lǐ | premier; prime minister |
| 由于 (由於) | yóu yú | due to; as a result of |
| 自由 | zì yóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted |
| 由此 | yóu cǐ | hereby; from this |
See also: Japanese symbol for “reason”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.