清(きよ)い

きよい
i-adjective
clear; pure; clean; noble
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present清(きよ)い清(きよ)くない
Past清(きよ)かった清(きよ)くなかった
て form清(きよ)くて清(きよ)くなくて
Adverbial清(きよ)く—
Conditional ば清(きよ)ければ清(きよ)くなければ
Conditional たら清(きよ)かったら清(きよ)くなかったら
1. clear; pure; clean
Free from impurities or contamination, especially of water or air.
清(きよ)い水(みず)だ。
It's clear water.
山(やま)の清(きよ)い水(みず)を飲(の)んだ。
I drank the clear mountain water.
清(きよ)い空気(くうき)を吸(す)いたい。
I want to breathe clean air.
2. pure; innocent; noble
Morally upright, untainted by wrongdoing or impure motives.
心(こころ)が清(きよ)い。
To have a pure heart.
彼女(かのじょ)は心(こころ)が清(きよ)い人(ひと)だ。
She is a person with a pure heart.
清(きよ)い心(こころ)を持(も)つことは難(むずか)しいが、大切(たいせつ)なことだと思(おも)う。
Having a pure heart is difficult, but I think it's important.

清(きよ)い is an i-adjective with both physical (clean, clear) and moral (pure, noble) meanings.

FORMS:

  • Adverbial: 清(きよ)く
  • Noun form: 清(きよ)さ (purity)

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • 心(こころ)が清(きよ)い (pure-hearted)
  • 清(きよ)い水(みず) (clear/pure water)
  • 清(きよ)い空気(くうき) (clean air)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 清(きよ)い vs. 綺麗(きれい): 清(きよ)い emphasizes purity and clarity (often literary), while 綺麗(きれい) is more everyday and covers beauty, cleanliness, and tidiness.
  • 清(きよ)い vs. 清潔(せいけつ): 清潔(せいけつ) is more practical/hygienic, while 清(きよ)い has poetic/moral nuances.

Register: Somewhat literary/formal. More commonly used in written language, poetry, or formal contexts. In everyday speech, 綺麗(きれい) or 清潔(せいけつ) is more common.

Related Words

Related: きれい (beautiful, clean)
Related: 清潔(せいけつ) (hygienic, clean)
general
Added 2026.1.13 15:25 · Revised 2026.2.4 11:46
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