Japanese symbol for “ideal”
理想
りそう
Romaji: risou
ideal; ideals
In Japanese, ideal is 理想, read りそう (risou).
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-no, n ideal; ideals
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ideal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理念 | りねん rinen | (Platonic) ideal (of how things ought to be, e.g. human rights); foundational principle; idea |
| 絶好 | ぜっこう zekkou | best; ideal; perfect |
| 最良 | さいりょう sairyou | the best; ideal |
| 好適 | こうてき kouteki | ideal; fit; fitted |
| 極致 | きょくち kyokuchi | culmination; acme; height |
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 |
| 予想 | よそう yosou | expectation; anticipation; prediction |
| 想像 | そうぞう souzou | imagination; supposition; guess |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ideal”.
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.