綺き麗れい

き

れ

い

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective

pretty; beautiful; lovely

Describes visual beauty or attractiveness of people, objects, or scenes.

彼かの女じょはとても綺き麗れいですね。
She is very pretty, isn't she?
この花はなは本ほん当とうに綺き麗れいだ

。

These flowers are really beautiful.

2

na-adjective

clean; tidy; neat; pure

usually written using kana alone

Describes cleanliness, order, or purity of objects, places, or abstract things. Often written in kana.

部屋へやをきれいに掃そう除じした。
I cleaned the room thoroughly.
この水みずはとてもきれいだ。
This water is very clean.

3

na-adjective

completely; entirely

usually written using kana alone

Used adverbially as きれいに to mean doing something thoroughly or without leaving anything behind. Often written in kana.

宿しゅく題だいをきれいに忘わすれてしまった。
I completely forgot about my homework.
彼かれはきれいに姿すがたを消けした。
He disappeared entirely.

Written forms

綺き麗れいUsage29%
Standard kanji spelling, though the word is often written in kana.
きれいUsage58%
Kana spelling is very common and preferred for senses 2 and 3.
キレイUsage11%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
奇き麗れいUsage2%
Uncommon variant kanji form.

Kanji

綺figured cloth, beautiful
麗lovely, beautiful, graceful
奇strange, strangeness, curiosity

Similar words

美うつくしい
美しい is more formal and often used for profound or artistic beauty, while 綺麗 is more common in everyday speech for prettiness or cleanliness.
清せい潔けつ
清潔 specifically means hygienic or sanitary, whereas きれい covers general cleanliness and tidiness.

Etymology

Originally a Chinese loanword, from 綺 (beautiful) and 麗 (lovely). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with beauty and cleanliness.