Hello — I’m Miyabi from the Japan Phrase Adventure site.
One short Japanese word, 綺麗（きれい / kirei）, carries several different nuances depending on context.
This site mixes English and Japanese. Automatic translation (e.g., Google Translate) can break the Japanese — please turn off auto-translate and view the original language.
Quick overview
綺麗（きれい / kirei） is a na-adjective (形容動詞). Its main senses are:
1. Visual beauty — beautiful / pretty
2. Cleanliness — clean / tidy
3. Moral/inner purity — pure / sincere
4. Completeness / neatness — neat / flawless / cleanly (as an adverb)
1) Visual beauty — 美しさを表す「綺麗」
Used when something looks pleasing or attractive.
Examples
・綺麗な花（きれいな はな — kirei na hana） — a beautiful / pretty flower
Word-by-word: 綺麗 = beautiful/pretty,
な = adjective link,
花 = flower
・綺麗な景色（きれいな けしき — kirei na keshiki） — a beautiful view / scenery
Word-by-word: 綺麗 = beautiful,
景色 = scenery/view
・綺麗な人（きれいな ひと — kirei na hito） — a pretty person / an attractive person
Word-by-word: 人 = person
Usage note: For purely aesthetic or literary beauty you might also see 美しい（うつくしい）, which sounds more formal or poetic. 綺麗 is common in everyday speech and can feel softer/more general.
Here’s a video where this meaning of 「綺麗」 appears. Watch it to see the situation and how it’s used.
2) Cleanliness — 清潔さを表す「綺麗」
Used when something is clean, neat, or hygienic.
Examples
・部屋が綺麗に片付いている（へやが きれいに かたづいている — heya ga kirei ni katadzuiteiru） — The room is neatly / cleanly tidied up.
Word-by-word: 部屋 = room,
が = subject particle,
綺麗に = cleanly/neatly (adverb),
片付いている = is tidied
・手を綺麗に洗う（てを きれいに あらう — te o kirei ni arau） — to wash one’s hands cleanly / thoroughly
Word-by-word: 手 = hand(s),
を = object particle,
綺麗に = cleanly,
洗う = to wash
Grammar tip: Use 綺麗だ/です for predicates (部屋が綺麗だ — “the room is clean”), and 綺麗に + verb when you want the adverbial sense “cleanly / neatly.”
Here’s a video where this meaning of 「綺麗」 appears. Watch it to see the situation and how it’s used.
3) Inner purity / correct behavior — 心や行いが正しい「綺麗」
Used metaphorically for a person’s heart, motives, or an honorable way of acting.
Examples
・心が綺麗な人（こころが きれいな ひと — kokoro ga kirei na hito） — a person with a pure/clean heart
Word-by-word: 心 = heart/mind,
が = subject,
綺麗な = pure/clean,
人 = person
・綺麗な別れ方をする（きれいな わかれかたを する — kirei na wakare-kata o suru） — to have a clean/dignified way of parting (an amicable breakup)
Word-by-word: 綺麗な = dignified/clean,
別れ方 = way of parting,
をする = to do
Nuance: Here 綺麗 suggests sincerity, dignity, or lack of malice — e.g., breaking up without nastiness.
4) Complete / without waste — 完全・無駄のない「綺麗」
Used to praise something done neatly, efficiently, or decisively.
Examples
・綺麗に問題を解く（きれいに もんだいを とく — kirei ni mondai o toku） — to solve a problem cleanly / elegantly
Word-by-word: 綺麗に = neatly/elegantly,
問題 = problem,
解く = to solve
・綺麗な勝ち方（きれいな かちかた — kirei na kachi-kata） — a clean / decisive way of winning
Word-by-word: 綺麗な = clean,
勝ち方 = way of winning
Pattern: When modifying a noun use 綺麗な + noun. When modifying a verb (how the action is done) use 綺麗に + verb.
Extra usage notes & comparisons
Form and writing
Form and writing: You can write it as 綺麗, in hiragana きれい, or even in katakana キレイ. The kanji form feels more traditional, while hiragana and katakana are also very common in everyday use. Japanese people regularly see all three forms.
綺麗 vs 美しい
・綺麗 is common, everyday, and covers both “pretty” and “clean.”
・美しい focuses on aesthetic, often more formal or literary (“beautiful”).
Adverb vs adjective:
・綺麗な写真 — “a beautiful photo” (な connects to noun)
・写真が綺麗だ — “the photo is beautiful/clean”
・綺麗に並べる — “arrange neatly” (に = adverbial)
Short summary
綺麗（きれい） can mean:
1. beautiful / pretty (visual beauty)
2. clean / tidy (hygiene, order)
3. pure / sincere (heart, behavior)
4.neat / flawless / cleanly (adverbial: done well)
Because context matters a lot, look at patterns (綺麗な + noun / 綺麗に + verb / …が綺麗だ) and the surrounding words to make sure you are using the correct grammar.
