uncleanness; impurity; defilement
General term for physical or spiritual impurity; can refer to dirt, contamination, or a state of being morally or ritually unclean.
Wash away the impurities of the heart.
This water is heavily contaminated.
disgrace; shame; stain; corruption
Metaphorical extension: a moral stain, blot on one's character, or corruption. Often used in expressions like 汚れを残す (leave a stain on one's reputation).
There is no stain on his career.
The corruption scandal stained the company's name.
ritual impurity; defilement from death or blood
Specifically refers to ritual uncleanness in Shinto or traditional contexts, arising from contact with death, childbirth, menstruation, etc. Often written 穢れ in religious texts.
In Shinto, death is considered a source of ritual impurity.
In the past, childbirth was also considered a defilement.
The Shinto priest purified the defilement through the ritual.
Before the Shinto ritual, one cleanses impurities with water.
His misconduct left a stain on the family's name.