How do you say "clean" in Japanese?

きれいな

kirei na

Adjective Hiragana

In Japanese, "clean" is きれいな (kirei na).

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Pronunciation

きれいな is written using hiragana. Romanised as kirei na, it sounds roughly like "kee-reh-nah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kirei na is written entirely in hiragana because it is a native Japanese word without kanji. Hiragana is used for words that have no standard kanji form or are simpler to write phonetically.

Example sentence

この部屋はとてもきれいです。

Kono heya wa totemo kirei desu.

This room is very clean.

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How to remember きれいな

Kirei has no kanji, so just remember the hiragana きれいな. The word sounds like it flows smoothly, matching the pleasant feeling of cleanliness it describes.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about きれいな

How do you pronounce きれいな?

きれいな is romanised as kirei na. Say it roughly like "kee-reh-nah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is きれいな formal or casual?

きれいな is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is きれいな written in Japanese?

きれいな is written using hiragana. Kirei na is written entirely in hiragana because it is a native Japanese word without kanji.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Clean" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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