真理
しんり · shinri · JLPT N3 · noun
truth
真理 = true (真) + reason/logic (理): the reason that holds true
真 (shin) means true or genuine, as in 真実 (shinjitsu, fact). 理 (ri) means reason or principle, as in 理由 (riyū, reason). Together they make a principle that is really true, which is why 真理 means truth in a deep, philosophical sense.
真 — 匕 (spoon) over 目 (eye) over 八 (eight/base)
真 originally depicted a person or vessel used in ritual, conveying the idea of something genuine or true. Over time the form was reanalyzed as components like 匕, 目, and a base, but the core meaning of 'real, true, genuine' has remained stable since early bronze inscriptions.
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.'