Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
汚い (きたない, kitanai) Japanese meaning: dirty | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N5 › Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Conjugation 汚い · i-adjective
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 汚きたな い 汚きたな くない Polite 汚きたな いです 汚きたな くないです also 汚きたな くありません Past polite 汚きたな かったです 汚きたな くなかったです also 汚きたな くありませんでした Past 汚きたな かった 汚きたな くなかった Te-form 汚きたな くて 汚きたな くなくて Adverbial 汚きたな く Conditional 汚きたな ければ 汚きたな くなければ Tara conditional 汚きたな かったら 汚きたな くなかったら
じ 字 Furigana
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. dirty; filthy; unclean 2. messy; untidy; poor (handwriting) 3. vulgar; coarse; dirty (language) 4. mean; underhanded; dastardly 5. stingy; greedy Report an issue with this page
きたな
い
から
、
洗あら
っ
て
き
なさい
。
Your hands are dirty, so go wash them.
The water in this river is filthy and undrinkable.
Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 が 汚きたな い a place is dirty
That park is dirty because there's a lot of trash.
汚きたな い 字じ を 書か く to write messy, untidy characters
His handwriting is messy, so it's hard to read.
汚きたな い 言こと 葉ば を 使つか う to use vulgar or coarse language
Please don't use vulgar language in front of children.
汚きたな い 手しゅ 段だん を 使つか う to use underhanded or dishonest means
He used underhanded means to win.
Expressions 金かね に 汚きたな い stingy with money; greedy about money 汚きたな い 手て を 使つか う play a dirty trick; use underhanded methods; hit below the belt 指ゆび 汚きたな しとて 、 切き られもせず you don't cut off your finger just because it's dirty; it's hard to sever ties with close relatives even if they are wicked Kanji 汚 dirty, pollute, disgrace Related words· 11 不潔 is a formal, often medical or hygienic term for dirtiness, while 汚い is the everyday word used for anything visibly dirty.
汚れる is the intransitive verb meaning 'to become dirty', whereas 汚い is the adjective describing the resulting dirty state.
汚す is the transitive verb meaning 'to make something dirty', while 汚い simply describes something as being dirty.
だらしない focuses on sloppy, undisciplined habits or appearance, while 汚い more directly describes physical dirtiness or messiness.
Show 7 more 卑しい describes a person's character as base or contemptible, a more literary word than the everyday 汚い used for mean or underhanded behavior.
けち is the common colloquial word for being stingy, while 汚い in this sense carries a stronger tone of moral criticism about someone's greed.
汚い is the standard, neutral word for 'dirty' used by speakers of all ages, while ばっちい is a childish, softer term mainly used by or with small children.
Opposites· 5 綺麗 means clean or neat, the direct opposite of 汚い when describing the physical state of a place or object.
清潔 means hygienically clean, a more formal opposite of 汚い used especially for hygiene-related contexts.
汚い means dirty or filthy, the direct opposite of クリーン's sense of being clean or free of impurities.
Don't confuse with 汚い is an adjective describing something as dirty or filthy, whereas 汚れ is the noun for the dirt or stain itself.
汚い is an adjective meaning 'dirty', whereas 汚す is the transitive verb meaning 'to make dirty' — learners often mix up the part of speech.
Word family· 8 filthy; dirty-looking; drab
dingy; slightly dirty; grubby · shabby; underhanded; base
dirty-looking; filthy; disgusting; squalid
foul-mouthed; abusive; using dirty language · greedy; gluttonous
Written forms 汚きたな い Usage 77%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
きたない Usage 13%
汚きた ない Usage 9%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not standard for writing.
穢きたな い Usage 1%
Etymology Derived from classical adjective きたなし (kitanashi), with root meaning 'dirty' or 'impure'. The kanji 汚 carries the meaning of 'dirty' or 'defile'.
汚けが らわしい
N1
汚い is the everyday word for 'dirty' in a physical or figurative sense, while 汚らわしい is stronger and more emotional, implying moral disgust or defilement.
汚い is a general word for physical or moral dirtiness, while えげつない specifically conveys a shocking, underhanded, or mean-spirited quality.
汚い is a broader word for 'dirty' or 'unclean', physical or moral, while 卑劣 specifically refers to mean, contemptible character or actions.
汚い primarily means physically dirty but extends to describe underhanded or shameful behavior, overlapping with 醜い's sense of moral ugliness.
Show 2 more
汚い means dirty or filthy, the direct opposite of 清い's sense of physical or moral cleanliness.
汚い means dirty or filthy, the direct opposite of 清らか's sense of physical cleanliness and clarity.
gluttonous; greedy; covetous
Show 3 more sound asleep; fast asleep · untidy; slovenly
black-hearted; nasty; mean-spirited
dirty trick; underhanded method
Rarely used kanji form; learners should recognize but not actively use.