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Kotomora

浄

clean, purify, cleanse, exorcise, Manchu Dynasty

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • ジョウ
  • セイ

Kun'yomi

  • きよ.める
  • きよ.い

Meaning

浄 centers on removing impurity to reach a pure state: cleaning, purifying, or cleansing something physically or spiritually. The exorcism sense extends this to driving out unclean spirits, while the Manchu Dynasty reference is a specific historical application of the idea of purification.

Most common words using 浄

20 of 80
  • 洗浄せんじょう

    washing; cleansing; cleaning; laundering

  • 浄化じょうか

    purification

  • 浄水じょうすい

    clean water; purified water

  • 清浄せいじょう

    pure; clean; purity

  • 不浄ふじょう

    unclean; dirty; impure

  • 浄土じょうど

    pure land (esp. the Western Pure Land paradise of Amitabha); (Buddhist) paradise

  • 浄土真宗じょうどしんしゅう

    Jōdo Shinshū (offshoot of the Jōdo sect); True Pure Land School

  • 浄化槽じょうかそう

    water-purification tank

  • 自浄じじょう

    self-purification; self-cleansing

  • 極楽浄土ごくらくじょうど

    Amitabha's Pure Land; Sukhavati

  • 浄土宗じょうどしゅう

    Pure Land sect (of Buddhism); Jodo (sect)

  • 浄瑠璃じょうるり

    jōruri; type of dramatic recitation accompanied by a shamisen (associated with Japanese puppet theater)

  • 人形浄瑠璃にんぎょうじょうるり

    Japanese puppet theatre in which recited narrative and dialog is accompanied by a shamisen (forerunner of bunraku)

  • 浄財じょうざい

    monetary offering; donation

  • 洗浄剤せんじょうざい

    detergent; cleanser; cleaning agent; washing material

  • ご不浄ごふじょう

    bathroom; toilet (room)

  • 不浄場ふじょうば

    unclean place

  • 九品浄土くほんじょうど

    Amitabha's Pure Land (composed of nine levels)

  • 入れ歯洗浄剤いればせんじょうざい

    denture cleanser

  • 六根清浄ろっこんしょうじょう

    purification of the six roots of perception

Explore all words using 浄 →

Study

Etymology

浄 is the modern simplified form of 淨. The older form combines 氵 (water) with 靜, suggesting cleansing with water. The modern right side 争 is a simplification of the original phonetic component.

Meaning mnemonic

Water 氵 beside 争 (a shape associated with conflict or contention) suggests washing away impurity or spiritual conflict. Picture water purifying a troubled area.

Reading mnemonic

For ジョウ, imagine a pure, clean Joe washing away dirt: Joe -> ジョウ, and his cleaning purifies everything.