理想
りそう · risou · JLPT N3 · noun
ideal
⭐ 理想 = reason (理) + thought (想): the best idea your reasoning can reach
理 means reason or principle, as in 理由 (reason). 想 means thought, as in 思想 (thought, ideology). An ideal is a thought built on principle: the standard things ought to meet. Sound hook: risou sounds like 'reach so' high.
理 — jade radical 玉/王 + village 里 (phonetic)
理 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the jade radical 王 (玉) on the left signals meaning, while 里 on the right gives the sound. It originally meant the natural veins or grain in a piece of jade, then extended to 'pattern,' 'order,' 'principle,' and finally the modern senses 'reason' and 'to manage.'
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'