Expressions 生き で 飲の む drink straight; drink neat 生き のままで straight; neat; undiluted Related words 純粋 is used for abstract purity (e.g. of motives or substances), while 生 (き ) specifically marks a physical substance as unprocessed or undiluted.
純 is a broader prefix meaning 'pure' (as in 純白 , 純情 ), whereas 生 (き ) is narrower, used mainly for undiluted liquids and raw materials like 生糸 or 生一本 .
Don't confuse with 生 (なま ) is the everyday reading for 'raw/fresh' used in daily speech (生野菜 , 生放送 ), while 生 (き ) is the more formal, technical reading limited to a smaller set of compounds like 生糸 and 生一本 .
Word family· 28 cloth; fabric; material; texture · dough; batter · inherent quality; true character; true colours · unprocessed base material; unglazed pottery; uncoated metal · bare skin; skin with no make-up
parasite
pure; genuine; trueborn; natural-born
overserious; deeply sincere; very earnest
birthstone
Show 14 more Show fewer raw silk thread
virgin; innocent young woman
pure sake; undiluted sake
traditional sake yeast starter; oldest surviving traditional sake-making method
raw lacquer; unrefined lacquer tree sap
greensand (olive-green sandstone) · green sand; molding sand
unsized paper
raw silk fabric
crude Japan wax
green coffee bean; unroasted coffee bean
unadulterated vinegar; pure vinegar
Jataka tales; stories of Buddha's previous lives
100% buckwheat soba; pure buckwheat noodles
straightforwardness; honesty; purity
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Etymology The reading き is the native Japanese reading (kun'yomi) of the kanji 生 , which broadly relates to life, birth, and rawness. This specific usage as a prefix/noun for 'pure' or 'raw' is derived from the core meaning of 'unprocessed' or 'in its natural state'.
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