Japanese symbol for “understanding”
理解
りかい
Romaji: rikai
understanding; comprehension; appreciation
In Japanese, understanding is 理解, read りかい (rikai).
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, vs, vt understanding; comprehension; appreciation
- n, vs, vt sympathy
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “understanding”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 分かり | わかり wakari | understanding; comprehension |
| 認識 | にんしき ninshiki | recognition; awareness; perception |
| 了解 | りょうかい ryoukai | comprehension; consent; understanding |
| 了承 | りょうしょう ryoushou | acknowledgement; acknowledgment; understanding |
| 思いやり | おもいやり omoiyari | consideration; thoughtfulness; sympathy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds; pretext |
| 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 |
| 解決 | かいけつ kaiketsu | settlement; solution; resolution |
| 解説 | かいせつ kaisetsu | explanation; commentary; exposition |
| 解散 | かいさん kaisan | breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “understanding”.
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.