清: clear; pure

 

清 qīng

adjective | verb
: clear; distinct; quiet
: just and honest; pure
: to settle or clear up; to clean up or purge
: Qing or Ch’ing dynasty of Imperial China (1644-1911)

Kun Reading

清い | きよい kiyoi

adjective
: clear; pure; noble

清め | きよめ kiyome

noun
: purification

清める OR 浄める | きよめる kiyomeru

ichidan verb | transitive verb
: to purify; to cleanse; to exorcise

清ら | きよら kiyora OR けうら keura

noun | na-adjective
: elegant beauty; dazzling beauty

清 OR 明 | さや saya

adverb
: (Archaism) clearly; brightly
: cleanly; purely

清か | さやか sayaka

na-adjective
: clear; fresh; bright

清む OR 澄む | すむ samu

godan verb with mu ending | intransitive verb
: to clear (e.g. weather); to become transparent

清ます | すます sumasu

godan verb with su ending | transitive verb
: to clear; to make clear; to be unruffled; to look unconcerned; to look demure; to look prim; to put on airs

 Usage:

清楚 qing1chu: clear; distinct; to understand thoroughly; to be clear about
[せいそ seisou: neat and clean; tidy; trim]

清算 qing1suan4: to settle accounts; to clear accounts; to liquidate; to expose and criticize
[せいさん seisan: settlement (financial); squaring accounts; clearing debts
: liquidation
: ending (a relationship); breaking up (with); burying (the past); redeeming (one’s faults)]

清醒 qing1xing3: clear-headed; sober; awake

清晰 qing1xi1: clear; distinct

清除 qing1chu2: to clear away; to eliminate; to get rid of

清潔[洁] qing1jie2: clean; to clean
[清潔 | せいけつ seiketsu: clean; hygienic; sanitary
: pure; virtuous; immaculate]

澄清 cheng2qing1: clear (of liquid); limpid; to clarify; to make something clear; to be clear (about the facts)

冷清 leng3qing1: cold and cheerless; fig. lonely; unfrequented

分清 fen1qing1: to distinguish (between different things); to make distinctions clear

肅[肃]清 su4qing1: to purge

認[认]清 ren4qing1: to see clearly; to recognize

清水 qing1shui3: fresh water; drinking water; clear water
[しみず shimizu OR きよみず kiyomizu OR せいすい seisui: spring water
: clear (pure) water]

Places
Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺, officially Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera (音羽山清水寺), is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kiyomizu-dera was founded in the early Heian period (in 778), and its present buildings were constructed in 1633, ordered by the Tokugawa Iemitsu. There is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills.

– photo credit stuckincustoms.com

Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom
清浄潔白 | せいじょうけっぱく seijou keppaku
: (yoji) upright and clean-handed; pure in heart and with a clean conscience

清清しい | すがすがしい suga sugashii
: refreshing (e.g. feeling, scene, wind, morning air); brisk; bracing; fresh; refreshed

*清風明月 | せいふうめいげつ seifuu meigetsu
: (yoji) refreshing breeze and the bright moon; a beautiful nocturnal scene with a full moon

和敬清寂 | わけいせいじゃく wakei seijaku
: (yoji) harmony, respect, purity and tranquility; the four most important elements of the tea ceremony

無垢清浄 | むくせいじょう muku seijou
: (yoji) pure and innocent; immaculate

百年河清 | ひゃくねんかせい hyakunen kasei
: (yoji) waiting for one hundred years for the waters of the Yellow River to clear; waiting in vain for an unlikely event. Waiting for pigs to fly. When the sky falls, we shall catch larks

門前清自摸和 | メンゼンチンツモホー menzen chintsu mohoo
: (mahj) winning off a self-drawn tile while completely concealed (yaku); winning off a self-drawn tile without having called any tiles

清水の舞台から飛び降りる | きよみずのぶたいからとびおりる kiyomizu no butai kara tobi oriru
: to make a leap into the dark; to take the plunge; to jump in at the deep end

Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom | proverb
清新自然 qing1 xin1 zi4 ran2
: as fresh and clean as nature

天清日晏 tian1 qing1 ri4 yan4
: a day of sunshine and peace

*清風明月 [清风明月] qing1 feng1 ming2 yue4
: lit. cool breeze and bright moon; unattached and at leisure

一清二楚 yi1 qing1 er4 chu3
: to be very clear about something

一清二白 yi1 qing1 er4 bai2
: perfectly clean; blameless; unimpeachable

一清如水 yi1 qing1 ru2 shui3
: lit. as clear as water; fig. (of officials etc) honest and incorruptible

兩袖清風 [两袖清风] liang3 xiu4 qing1 feng1
: lit. both sleeves flowing in the breeze; having clean hands; uncorrupted; unsoiled by corrupt practices

揚清激濁 [扬清激浊] yang2 qing1 ji1 zhuo2
: lit. drain away filth and bring in fresh water; fig. dispel evil and usher in good; eliminate vice and exalt virtue

神志不清 shen2 zhi4 bu4 qing1
: to be delirious; to be mentally confused

水清無魚 [水清无鱼] shui3 qing1 wu2 yu2
OR
水至清則無魚 [水至清则无鱼] shui3 zhi4 qing1 ze2 wu2 yu2
: Water that is too clear has few fish, and one who is too critical has few friends. You cannot expect everyone to be squeaky clean.

旁觀者清 [旁观者清] pang2 guan1 zhe3 qing1
OR
當局者迷，旁觀者清 [当局者迷，旁观者清] dang1 ju2 zhe3 mi2 , pang2 guan1 zhe3 qing1
: The person on the spot is baffled, the onlooker sees clear. The spectator sees more of the game.

眉清目秀 mei2 qing1 mu4 xiu4
: pretty; with delicate features

玉潔冰清 [玉洁冰清] yu4 jie2 bing1 qing1
: clear as ice and clean as jade; spotless; irreproachable; incorruptible

自命清高 zi4 ming4 qing1 gao1
: to think of oneself as high and pure; smug and self-righteous; holier-than-thou

耳根清淨 [耳根清净] er3 gen1 qing1 jing4
: lit. ears pure and peaceful; to stay away from the filth and unrest of the world

不分清紅皂白 [不分清红皂白] bu4 fen1 qing1 hong2 zao4 bai2
: not distinguishing red-blue or black-white; not to distinguish between right and wrong

清官難斷家務事 [清官难断家务事] qing1 guan1 nan2 duan4 jia1 wu4 shi4
: even an honest and upright official will have difficulty resolving a family dispute (proverb)

跳進黃河洗不清 [跳进黄河洗不清] tiao4 jin4 huang2 he2 xi3 bu4 qing1
: lit. even jumping into the Yellow River can’t get you clean; fig. to become inexorably mixed up; mired in controversy; in deep trouble