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清らか (きよらか, kiyoraka) Japanese meaning: clean | Kotomora

清きよらか

き

よ

ら

か

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

clean; clear; pure

Describes physical cleanliness and clarity, such as water, air, or a clear sound. Often used in poetic or literary contexts.

See also: 清い

山やまの

空くう

気き

は

清きよ

らか

で

、

心こころ

が

洗あら

わ

れる

よう

だ

。

The mountain air is so pure it feels cleansing to the soul.

清きよらかな水みずが川かわを流ながれている。

Clear water flows in the river.

2

pure; innocent; chaste; honest

Refers to moral purity, innocence, or chastity of a person, heart, or relationship. Can describe a platonic or virtuous character.

彼かの女じょの清きよらかな心こころに感かん動どうした。
I was moved by her pure heart.
清きよらかな交こう際さいを続つづけている。
They maintain a chaste relationship.

Usage patterns

清きよらかな〈物もの〉pure/clear (water, air, sound, etc.)
清きよらかな川かわの水みずが山やまから流ながれてくる。
Pure river water flows down from the mountain.
清きよらかな心こころa pure, innocent heart
彼かの女じょは清きよらかな心こころを持もった人ひとだ。
She is a person with a pure heart.
清きよらかに〈動どう詞し〉to live/act purely, chastely
彼かの女じょは清きよらかに生いきることを大たい切せつにしている。
She values living a pure, virtuous life.

Kanji

清pure, purify, cleanse

Related words· 6

清きよいN2
清い is the common, versatile word for 'clean/pure', while 清らか carries a more poetic, elevated, literary tone.
純じゅん粋すいN2sense 2
純粋 emphasizes moral or emotional purity (e.g. sincere motives), while 清らか adds a poetic sense of untainted beauty to that purity.
無む垢く sense 2
無垢 stresses innocence or being unsullied, especially of a person's heart, whereas 清らか can also describe physical clarity like water or sound.
綺き麗れいN5sense 1
きれい is the everyday word for 'clean/pretty', while 清らか is more literary and often implies moral or spiritual purity as well.

Show 2 more

さやか
清らか emphasizes purity or moral cleanliness, often for water or hearts, while さやか focuses on the clarity or brightness of light and sound.
清せい澄ちょう
清らか emphasizes moral or physical purity and cleanliness, whereas 清澄 focuses more on visual/auditory clarity and calm transparency.

Opposites

汚きたないN5sense 1
汚い means dirty or filthy, the direct opposite of 清らか's sense of physical cleanliness and clarity.
不ふ純じゅんN1sense 2
不純 describes impure or insincere motives, contrasting with 清らか's sense of moral purity and innocence.
汚けがらわしいN1
清らか describes something pure and clean, the opposite of 汚らわしい's sense of filthy or morally repugnant.

Don't confuse with

清せい潔けつN3sense 1
清潔 refers to hygienic cleanliness (e.g. a clean room), while 清らか describes an aesthetic or moral purity, as in clear water or an innocent heart.

Written forms

清きよらかUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news and common usage.
きよらかUsage4%

Etymology

Derived from the classical adjective 清し (kiyoshi) with the suffix らか, which adds a sense of being clearly or distinctly so. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the form is associated with a refined, poetic register.