Japanese symbol for “cogent”

理路整然

りろせいぜん

Romaji: riroseizen

logical; cogent; well-reasoned; logically consistent

In Japanese, cogent is 理路整然, read りろせいぜん (riroseizen).

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.

Meanings

adj-t, adv-to logical; cogent; well-reasoned; logically consistent

Kanji and stroke order

理

logic, arrangement, reason

on: リ
kun: ことわり

11 strokes · JLPT 3

路

path, route, road

on: ロ、ル
kun: -じ、みち

13 strokes · JLPT 2

整

organize, arranging, tune

on: セイ
kun: ととの.える、ととの.う

16 strokes · JLPT 2

然

sort of thing, so, if so

on: ゼン、ネン
kun: しか、しか.り、しか.し、さ

12 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
理由	りゆう riyuu	reason; grounds; pretext
理解	りかい rikai	understanding; comprehension; appreciation
無理	むり muri	unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable
管理	かんり kanri	control; management (e.g. of a business)
料理	りょうり ryouri	cooking; cookery; cuisine
処理	しょり shori	processing; dealing with; treatment
道路	どうろ douro	road; highway
路上	ろじょう rojou	on the road; on the street; in the street
調整	ちょうせい chousei	adjustment; regulation; coordination
自然	しぜん shizen	nature

See also: Chinese symbol for “cogent”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.