Vocabulary
일리
some truth; some merit
Meaning
Sino-Korean noun 一理: “a reason”, “some logic or merit”.
Why this form?
이유 — reason, cause : names a cause or explanation; 일리 describes the merit of a line of reasoning.
Natural usage
Hanja: 一 (one) + 理 (reason, principle); literally “one reason/principle”. The noun and full expression have distinct scopes.
Forms not to confuse
이유
늦은 이유를 말해 주세요. — Tell me why you are late.
Hanja
一: one; 理: reason, principle. “One reason”: a degree of merit.
Examples
일리 있는 말이에요, 지민 씨. — You have a point, Jimin.
그 말에도 일리가 있어요. — There is some truth to that as well.