Japanese symbol for “excuse”
理由
りゆう
Romaji: riyuu
reason; grounds; pretext; excuse
In Japanese, excuse is 理由, read りゆう (riyuu).
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
- n reason; grounds; pretext; excuse; motive
Written forms: 理由. Readings: りゆう、わけ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “excuse”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 言い訳 | いいわけ iiwake | excuse |
| 口実 | こうじつ koujitsu | excuse; pretext |
| 申し訳 | もうしわけ moushiwake | apology; excuse |
| 謝り | あやまり ayamari | excuse; apology |
| 弁明 | べんめい benmei | explanation; excuse; clarification |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 自由 | じゆう jiyuu | freedom; liberty |
| 経由 | けいゆ keiyu | going through; going via; going by way of |
| 由来 | ゆらい yurai | origin; source; history |
See also: Chinese symbol for “excuse”.
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.