清
清 — Pure
pure, purify, cleanse, exorcise, Manchu dynasty
On’yomiセイ (sei)
On’yomiショウ (shou)
On’yomiシン (shin)
Kun’yomiきよい (kiyoi)
Kun’yomiきよまる (kiyomaru)
Kun’yomiきよめる (kiyomeru)
Stroke order (11 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 清
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 清算 | せいさん seisan | (financial) settlement; squaring accounts; clearing debts |
| 清掃 | せいそう seisou | cleaning; clean-up; garbage collection |
| 清潔 | せいけつ seiketsu | clean; hygienic; sanitary |
| 清新 | せいしん seishin | fresh; new |
| 清涼 | せいりょう seiryou | cool; refreshing |
| 清い | きよい kiyoi | clean; clear; pure |
Study notes
清 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #705 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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