きれい

きれい
na-adjective
beautiful, clean
descriptive
1. beautiful, pretty
Describes something or someone that is aesthetically pleasing. Often used for scenery, flowers, people (especially women), and objects.
この花(はな)はきれいですね。
This flower is beautiful, isn't it?
きれいな景色(けしき)を見(み)ました。
I saw a beautiful view.
na-adjective form before noun
空(そら)がとてもきれいですね。星(ほし)がたくさん見(み)えます。
The sky is so beautiful. You can see many stars.
きれいな人(ひと)ですね。
She's a beautiful person, isn't she?
夕焼(ゆうや)けがきれいだった。
The sunset was beautiful.
2. clean, neat, tidy
Describes something free of dirt or mess. Used for rooms, clothes, hands, etc.
部屋(へや)をきれいにしてください。
Please clean the room.
Using the 'clean' meaning
手(て)をきれいに洗(あら)ってください。
Please wash your hands thoroughly.
この服(ふく)はまだきれいなので、洗(あら)わなくてもいいです。
These clothes are still clean, so you don't need to wash them.
毎日(まいにち)机(つくえ)の上(うえ)をきれいにしています。勉強(べんきょう)する前(まえ)に物(もの)をかたづけます。
I clean my desk every day. I tidy things up before studying.
きれいに食(た)べてね。
Eat it all up nicely.

きれい is a na-adjective with two common meanings: beautiful/pretty and clean/tidy.

Usage

きれい takes な before a noun (きれいな花(はな), "a pretty flower") and に before a verb (きれいに洗(あら)う, "to wash clean"); as a predicate it takes だ/です. Context distinguishes the two senses — "beautiful/pretty" (scenery, people, colors) and "clean/tidy" (rooms, hands). It is normally written in hiragana.

Forms

Sense 1 - beautiful

Sense 2 - clean

Writing

Usually hiragana. Kanji 綺麗(きれい) exists but is less common.

Gender note

For people, きれい is typically used for women. For men, かっこいい (cool/handsome) is more common.

Related Words

Antonym: 汚(きたな)い (dirty)
Compare: 美(うつく)しい (beautiful (i-adjective; more literary))
Compare: 醜(みにく)い (ugly)
Compare: かわいい (cute, adorable)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:34 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29
00500/00717_kirei