清(きよ)い

きよい

i-adjective

clear; pure; clean; noble

formalliterarywrittendescriptive

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
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: 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 2026.9.18 1:06

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