Usage patterns 清せい 廉れん な 〈 人ひと 〉 an honest, incorruptible person (e.g. official, politician)
He is known as an incorruptible politician.
清せい 廉れん な 人ひと 柄がら an upright, incorruptible personality
That judge is respected for his upright, incorruptible character.
Related words 誠実 stresses sincerity and faithfulness in personal dealings, while 清廉 stresses moral purity and freedom from corruption, especially in public roles.
潔白 focuses narrowly on being innocent or free of guilt (often legally), while 清廉 describes a broader upright, incorruptible character.
高潔 emphasizes noble, lofty moral character in general, whereas 清廉 emphasizes specifically resisting corruption and bribery.
清廉 is the modern word for moral purity or integrity; 廉 alone is an obsolete term with the same meaning.
清貧 describes living poor but virtuous and content, while 清廉 focuses on moral integrity and freedom from corruption, regardless of one's financial state.
Opposites 不正 describes corrupt or fraudulent conduct, the direct opposite of the incorruptible integrity implied by 清廉 .
清廉 describes a person or system that is honest and free of corruption, the direct opposite of 腐敗 in its moral sense.
清廉 describes a person or conduct that is upright and incorruptible, the opposite state from 汚職 , which denotes corrupt or bribery-tainted behavior.
Written forms 清せい 廉れん Usage 90%
Standard kanji form; widely used in formal and written contexts.
セイレン Usage 10%
Etymology Compound of 清 (pure, clean) and 廉 (honest, inexpensive). The combination conveys moral cleanliness and integrity.
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