Japanese symbol for “theoretically”

理論上

りろんじょう

Romaji: rironjou

theoretically; in theory

In Japanese, theoretically is 理論上, read りろんじょう (rironjou).

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

adv theoretically; in theory
adj-no theoretical

Kanji and stroke order

理

logic, arrangement, reason

on: リ
kun: ことわり

11 strokes · JLPT 3

論

argument, discourse

on: ロン
kun: あげつら.う

15 strokes · JLPT 2

上

above, up

on: ジョウ、ショウ、シャン
kun: うえ、-うえ、うわ-、かみ

3 strokes · JLPT 4

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
議論	ぎろん giron	argument; discussion; dispute
理論	りろん riron	theory
以上	いじょう ijou	not less than ...; ... and over; ... and above

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.