리

Etymology 1
.

Dependent noun

 * 1)  way, reason, sense

Noun

 * 1)  , the underlying ordering principle of the cosmos

Usage notes

 * In the case of this specific word, the pronunciation is common even in South Korea. The reason may be to avoid homophony with other Chinese characters, given the context of East Asian philosophy where single-character Chinese terms are common.

Etymology 2
.

Noun

 * 1)  village; a Korean administrative division covering a small settlement and its surrounding hinterland.

Usage notes

 * is the prescriptive form in the South Korean standard, but is more common.

Counter

 * 1) li; East Asian unit of distance traditionally around 393 meters in Korea

Etymology 3
, Middle Korean reading and.

Usage notes

 * Most South Koreans romanize it as "Lee", but in North Korea the common romanization is "Ri".

Etymology 4
.

Suffix

 * 1) inside, within, inner

Etymology 5
Modern Korean reading of various Chinese characters, when preceded by another character in a compound. When used as the first character of a compound or in isolation, they are pronounced as.

Following a language reform in the mid-twentieth century, North Koreans always read them as in any position, but this was not standard before the division of Korea.